A long road for Travelers
New sponsor ensures firm footing with PGA
It has been a labor of love involving community people for more than 50 years, and even when times were tough and it appeared that their show was coming to an end, they didn't lose faith.
Today at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., that golf show will unfold yet again, and if the men and women who've had a hand in the organization of what is still affectionately called by many "the Greater Hartford Open" have smiles on their faces, it's for good reason. A new sponsor is firmly entrenched and The Travelers Championship is very much part of the PGA Tour picture, just a few years after it appeared on the brink of extinction.
It was in late 2006 and the PGA Tour was drawing up plans for what would debut the next year, the
As has been the case with the Hartford tournament, they turned to Ted May.
"He was the rock," said Roger Gelfenbien. "We were offered a fall date, but a bunch of us, including Ted, refused to take the fall date."
Being in the fall pretty much guaranteed that the event wouldn't get marquee names, and besides, school would be in session and that would affect attendance and the volunteer base. Sad as it pained the good people of Hartford, the decision to reject a fall date meant that more than likely the PGA Tour was through at one of its oldest stops.
Then, a touch of luck rolled Hartford's way. A tournament that had been penciled in as part of the FedEx Cup, the 84 Lumber, was not going to exist in 2007 and Hartford got a call.
Guess what the people involved in the Hartford tournament did? They again leaned on May.
"He was right there with every phone call and every decision," said Gelfenbien, who has served on the tournament committee since 1966. "Ted's an enormous part of the golf tournament."
May's involvement with the Travelers Championship goes back to before those years when Sammy Davis Jr. had his name attached to it (1973-88). Never was there any question he'd be part of it, either. His father, Ed, was one of the founders of the tournament and when Ted
Twenty-five years ago, Curtis Strange won it and the fact that he and so many of his contemporaries this week are teeing it up at Nashawtuc CC in Concord in another community-pride staple (the
Through the years, the Hartford tournament thrived, a must-attend event for the sport's biggest names. A few years ago they celebrated the tourney's 50th anniversary and many of the former winners showed up. May was co-chair in 1983 when the tournament was played at Weathersfield CC for the final time and he's been right there every step of the way at TPC River Highlands.
That explains why May should be filled with great pride. Showing a commitment to the tournament that speaks volumes for the passion people have poured into it, the PGA Tour gave its blessing to an improved practice range that includes a Brad Faxon-designed short-game area.
Sure, it's the millions of dollars in prize money that still acts as the magnet for the players, but it's no secret they are also attracted by the amenities, the perks, the added comforts. The changes to the clubhouse and practice range are positive steps for a tournament that deserves nothing but whatever good comes its way.
There's a four-year guaranteed deal with Travelers, with an option for two more, and with the changes that were recently unveiled, there's reason to smile. "We're in a lot more solid position," said Gelfenbien.
Thanks in large part to the efforts of May, whose commitment to golf in that area extends beyond the tournament. He's also the founder of the First Tee of Connecticut and part of his vision was to devote a part of the new practice area to the youngsters. That's a realization this year.
"That was his dream, to make that happen," said Gelfenbien. "And it's always been for a love of the game. Sure, we love the tournament, but to me, it's always been about what it means to our community."
Which is a lot. More than people probably realize.
LPGA searching the Northeast
When news surfaced that the LPGA Tour will assume ownership of its LPGA Championship and search the Northeast for a permanent home, the Carnegie Abbey Club in Portsmouth, R.I., was mentioned as a possible site.A lavish club on spectacular waterfront property not far from Newport, it's understandable why there is interest in Carnegie Abbey, which is why some club officials visited Bulle Rock GC in Havre de Grace, Md., to observe the recent
But Stephen Downes, the club's general manager, said it's too early to speculate on what, if anything, could be staged in Portsmouth. Downes noted that Paula Creamer stayed at the club during the 2006 US Women's Open at Newport CC and that an event featuring Annika Sorenstam was held there, too.
But if the LPGA Tour is interested in a course that would host the LPGA Championship on an annual basis, Downes indicated it wouldn't fit with the club's vision.
"We're looking at more of a one-off tournament that has prestige," said Downes. "It's all about whether it fits the membership's needs."
It's been reported that LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens would like to take the LPGA Championship not only to the Northeast, but into an August date, making it the last major championship of the season.
For years it's been the second one, held in late May or early June. The LPGA Tour membership is excited about this development, said veteran player Heather Daly-Donofrio.
"We see it as the players' championship and we should own it," said Daly-Donofrio.
Although Daly-Donofrio has never seen Carnegie Abbey, she does know the Northeast area well, from Boston down to New Jersey, "and there are a lot of great courses that we can go to and we should," she said.
While it might not be the LPGA Championship, Downes suggested there could be other avenues for an LPGA Tour presence.
"We're interested and we're investigating, but we haven't made a decision," he said.
Silva’s golden moment was a qualified success
There were so many carts you'd have thought you were at Starland on a warm summer's night, and it was as if the hosts were busy picking up the house to drop a hint it was time for the guests to leave. Only in this case, the guests were qualifiers who earned spots into the US Open, so you couldn't blame them for giving it their best - even with the commotion going on.It's a tough environment in which to play - carts going here, carts going there, vendors closing concession stands, maintenance folks picking up trash - but Kevin Silva said it didn't bother him in the least.
"That's OK. That didn't get to me," said the young man from New Bedford, who earned a spot in the 108th US Open at Torrey Pines via local and sectional qualifying.
Nor did it bother Silva that as the second-from-last pairing of Thursday's Round 1, he'd be playing on bumpy greens after a day of heavy traffic.
"It's difficult to get that out of your mind, but you've got to," said Silva. "You've got to putt the ball where you think the ball is going to go and not guide it around the spike marks."
Though disappointed by his scores, 80-76, that fell short of making the cut, Silva said it was an experience. It showed him that although he's worked hard on his short game and putted well to win medalist honors at the sectional qualifier, he's got to improve in that area. He cited one hole that really ate at him - the par-3 eighth in his first round. He hit his tee ball into a front bunker, blasted it through the green and into another bunker, put his third shot on, then three-putted from 6 feet.
"Very sloppy," said Silva. "I've got to work on that."
Etc.
Closing book on OpenA little of this, a sliver of that after scanning the final results from the 108th US Open.
You've heard that "fairways-and-greens" mantra for years when it comes to the US Open, right? Well, that was tossed out with this year's edition. Amateur Derek Fathauer led the field in fairways hit (41 of 56) and he wound up tied for 69th, 16 shots behind the leaders. And greens in regulation? The top spot was secured by Nick Watney (53 of 72), although he finished tied for 60th. Boo Weekley, second in fairways hit, finished T-26, while Sergio Garcia was second in greens, but joint 18th on the leaderboard. The men who finished tied for first and played off for the championship? Rocco Mediate was tied for 16th in fairways hit, Tiger Woods joint 56th. They were tied for 14th in greens hit.
Four players have finished in the top 10 in both the Masters and US Open this year and if you guess that Woods is one of them, well, all guesses start with him. You're right. But give yourself a birdie if you know the others are Brandt Snedeker (T-3 Masters, T-9 Open), Miguel Angel Jimenez (T-8, T-6), and Robert Karlsson (T-8, T-4).
When Jimenez birdied the par-5 18th to finish at 3-over 287, he moved into a share of sixth, but there was a sidelight to that - he knocked five players into a tie for ninth and thus denied them automatic exemptions into the Masters that go to the Open's top-eight finishers. Two of those who slipped to joint ninth (Snedeker and Geoff Ogilvy) had already secured trips to Augusta, Ga., next April, but Eric Axley will have to find another route if he hopes to make his Masters debut. Heath Slocum and Camilo Villegas were the other two players who got squeezed out, though they have other shots at it.
Of the 13 players who secured top-10 finishes at the US Open, eight did so for the first time - Karlsson, Slocum, Axley, Snedeker, Villegas, Carl Pettersson, John Merrick, and D.J. Trahan. Trahan, Merrick, Slocum, and Axley had never made a US Open cut.
Merrick's tie for sixth secured his first Masters appearance.
Garcia broke 70 five times in his first 13 US Open rounds, but he's done so just twice in his last 19. His scoring average in 32 rounds is 72.7, but he's at 74.0 for final rounds.
Ernie Els's triple bogey at the par-4 15th in Sunday's final round cost him a chance for his first top-10 finish in a US Open since 2004.
Toto, we're not at Olympia Fields anymore, because while Jim Furyk went 8 under to win the 2003 US Open at that Illinois venue, he's 50 over par in 20 rounds in the event since. Since opening 67-66-67 in 2003, Furyk has shot between 70 and 75 in 20 of his 21 US Open rounds, the exception being the finale in 2004 when he had a 79 at baked-out Shinnecock, where par was probably 78 that day.
Sitting joint fifth through 36 holes, Davis Love was in prime position to notch his first top-10 finish in a major since the 2005 PGA Championship, but he proceeded to play two weekend rounds without a birdie to crash into a tie for 53d.
For four rounds, there were but 15 birdies made at the par-4 12th, which played to a field average of 4.585 to rank hardest. Only one player birdied it more than once, the unheralded Kevin Streelman, whose 68 made him the stunning co-leader after Thursday. Of course, you can't quite say that he had the hole figured out, because he also made bogey and double bogey there.
Of those who completed 72 holes, Aaron Baddeley ranked last with just five birdies, three at the soft, par-5 18th.
Flashy Argentine Andres Romero led the field with 17 birdies (he also had an eagle), but he also made 16 bogeys and 1 double bogey.
Woods has played in the final Sunday pairing in six of the last eight major championships, four resulting in victories.
Time for the ladies
As we shift our attention from California to Minnesota, we're a week away from the start of the US Women's Open at Interlachen CC in Edina, Minn. It may not have the Pacific Ocean as a background, as did the men at Torrey Pines last week, but there are pieces of history that enrich this year's event. Interlachen is where Bobby Jones won the US Open during his fabled conquest of the Grand Slam in 1930.
Kelly holds up his end
Nice touch by PGA Tour veteran Jerry Kelly. Several years ago he was playing in the
Different kind of feat
It might not have attracted the sort of attention that Woods's knee did at the US Open, but Jesper Kennegard of Sweden showed a bit of perseverance in the first round of the British Amateur at Turnberry. Limping noticeably, he cited painful blisters on his feet, and since the golf shoes were to blame, he had a solution: He would play with just his socks. A doctor tried to lend assistance, but nothing felt as good as walking shoeless. And when Kennegard finished as your first-round leader with a 66, who could have faulted his decision? Unlike Woods, however, Kennegard succumbed; he shot 89 the next day at the famed Ailsa course and missed the cut. 