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“I’ll catch some heat for it,’’ Brett Quigley said of passing on the British. (Michael Cohen/Getty Images) |
Golf notes
An unplayable lie
Quigley skips British after quick thinking
Brett Quigley had less than five minutes to decide: Jump on a plane and play in the British Open, or head to Milwaukee for the US Bank Championship instead. If only it had been that easy.
Quigley was placed in the difficult spot after Tim Petrovic put his approach shot into the water Sunday on the final hole of the John Deere Classic and fell from solo second into a tie for fifth. That costly double bogey elevated Quigley into a tie for second, and in line for perhaps the final spot in the British Open field, since an exemption was available to the highest top-five finisher at the John Deere Classic not already exempt. A charter plane was waiting nearby to take players to Scotland.
But Quigley had some obstacles. His passport was back home in Jupiter, Fla., he didn’t have the layered gear necessary for a trip to the always-unpredictable Scottish coast, and his family was scheduled to go to Milwaukee for this week’s PGA Tour tournament. Quigley also had a pro-am commitment Monday, and wanted to attend a memorial service Tuesday for the wife of Chris Smith, a longtime and popular PGA Tour pro.
So Quigley turned down his British Open invitation and headed to Wisconsin. With no regrets.
“It’s a tough decision to make, and I know I’ll catch some heat for it,’’ said Quigley, who has played in the British Open twice, missing the cut in 2006 and 2007. “But I know it’s the right decision for me. I would get over there and be rushed and just not be excited to play.
“I know that sounds crazy for a major, the British Open at Turnberry. There’s a million reasons to go. I just feel like it’s going to be better for me to go to Milwaukee and go with my family. I hear myself talking about it, and I know if I heard another player say it I would be like, ‘How can you not go to the British?’ It’s just not for me.’’
Quigley might be lumped in with recent US pros who had qualified for the British Open but chose to skip it, but their situations and Quigley’s are totally different. Kenny Perry had months last year to decide if he would play in the British Open, and decided against it, choosing Milwaukee because, he felt, it helped him in his stated goal of making the Ryder Cup team. Perry was roundly criticized for his decision, but he tied for sixth in Milwaukee and ultimately made the Ryder Cup team.
Quigley’s case differed. He was thrust into a logistical conundrum. He said he wasn’t aware of the top-five exemption and, making the 36-hole cut on the number, figured the top five was out of the question, anyway. But then he shot a third-round 62, a final-round 67, and was suddenly being asked if he would like to play in golf’s oldest major championship.
“Every shot I hit I had control over,’’ Quigley said. “Watching Petrovic play 18 . . . he hit it in the water and I just hung my head. The British was never even on the radar.’’
Lyle, Monty joust
Plenty of fireworks already from across the pond, and that’s before the British Open had even started. We’re talking about the verbal jousting between Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie. Lyle, in a story this week, was all too quick and comfortable to go on the record about something that many of his peers have agreed with, but stayed silent on: the accusations that Montgomerie cheated at the Indonesian Open in 2005. Television cameras appeared to catch Montgomerie placing his ball in a much more advantageous position after a rain delay. Monty was brought in for a chat with tournament officials and he was cleared of any wrongdoing, but took it upon himself after watching the video to donate his prize money to charity, a sign to some that Montgomerie knew he was in the wrong. That incident seemed to be forgotten until Lyle spoke up. There’s a bit of a back story here: Lyle, a two-time major champion, wanted to be Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for next year’s matches in Wales. Montgomerie, with no majors, got the job instead. Some feel that Lyle’s decision to withdraw from last year’s British Open after only nine holes - Lyle claimed his knuckles hurt - sealed his fate with the Ryder Cup appointing committee. So in response to being asked about his withdrawal and whether it affected his chance at being captain, Lyle said, “You would have to ask the committee that. But you’ve got Monty with his situation where he was dropping the ball badly . . . and that is far worse than someone pulling out because he has got sore knuckles. It’s a form of cheating.’’ Monty is still revered over there, so you can guess how this has played out: Lyle: “I regret bringing up the incident. Colin and I are not at war.’’ Monty: “It’s a rather strange apology. I’m just trying to compete in the Open, and my preparations have been dented. I’m not very happy about that at all.’’ European Tour officials have chastised Lyle and sided with Monty, and why wouldn’t they? He’s their man next year in Wales, and desperately want any thoughts of improper on-course behavior from their captain to evaporate as quickly as they reappeared. But that’s easier said than done. Once you’ve been branded a cheat in golf, it’s very difficult to erase. Stay tuned.Three’s a crowd
Poor Lee Westwood. First he gets paired with Tiger Woods, which is tough enough with the bloated galleries, constant movement, additional noise, and gaggle of photographers. But Ryo Ishikawa, too? There will likely be more Japanese photographers following the 17-year-old than shutterbugs capturing Tiger. Should make for quite a scene.School’s out
With 31 amateurs and 24 teenagers in the field at the US Women’s Open, it’s easy to see that the women’s game at the highest level is getting younger and younger, with more girls skipping college and turning pro. While 49-year-old Juli Inkster applauds their burgeoning ability, part of her feels that they’re missing out. “I feel that everybody who can should at least go to college for a year,’’ said Inkster, who graduated from San Jose State in 1983 and has played on the LPGA Tour since turning pro that year. “If I had a daughter out here who was 18 or 19, I wouldn’t want them traveling by themself, I’d be out here with them, too. I don’t have any qualms about that. But I just think there comes a point where you’ve got to let these girls go and you’ve got to let them start making their own decisions and grow up, because golf’s not going to be there forever, and your parents aren’t going to be there forever, and you’ve got to learn to make your own decisions.’’Futures show-stopper
The final-round 77 wasn’t what she hoped for, but it’s doubtful that anyone had more fun over the four days at Saucon Valley than Jean Reynolds. A Futures Tour player who has never competed in an event run by the LPGA Tour - yet - Reynolds won over the crowd with her charm, smile, size (she’s only 5 feet 2 inches), and story. An accomplished junior player, Reynolds took a break from competitive golf while at Georgia and became a regular college student. She resumed her golf career after graduating, and now, in her second season as a professional, stole a spot for three days on the biggest stage in women’s golf, loving every second of it. “There’s different roads to get here,’’ said Reynolds, who tied for 17th and earned $42,724, more than two-thirds of her Futures Tour haul this year, which features two wins. Reynolds brings her game this week to the As the LPGA turns
The change at the top of the LPGA Tour is complete, with Carolyn Bivens out as commissioner and Marsha Evans in on an interim basis. But it might take some time for the hurt feelings to heal. Current players might have been disappointed with the job Bivens was doing, but former players had no such problems. In fact, they think forcing Bivens out was a terrible idea. “Carolyn wasn’t hired to be liked. She was hired to build the brand and make money,’’ Hollis Stacy told GolfChannel.com. “If these players today want to go back to being the red-headed stepchild, and getting kicked around by the PGA Tour, just getting the scraps, and not having a pension, then yeah, buy out Carolyn. But it’s a big, big mistake. I don’t think these players understand we’ve had former players die near poverty.’’ Carol Mann, a 26-time tour winner, questioned the timing of the ill-fated letter LPGA Tour players sent asking for Bivens’s resignation. “They should have their heads examined,’’ Mann told the Florida Times-Union last week. “The timing of what they’re doing is one of the most inappropriate things I’ve ever seen.’’ While it did spill over into US Women’s Open week and remain a hot topic of speculation and discussion throughout the tournament, it ultimately gave current LPGA Tour members exactly what they wanted. Time will tell if it was the right move.Say cheese
From the Not-Frequently-Seen Department: When Eun Hee Ji was entering the media center for her post-round interview after winning the Women’s Open Sunday, some members of the South Korean media covering the tournament took the opportunity to have their picture taken with the new champion, holding the silver trophy. Minutes later, when Rhonda Glenn, the US Golf Association media center interview moderator, introduced Ji as the 2009 Women’s Open champion, some of the South Korean media contingent broke into applause. Not saying it’s right or it’s wrong, just . . . unusual.State of the game
Which state has hosted the most USGA championships? California? Massachusetts? Ohio? Try Pennsylvania, which has now hosted 78 USGA championships, and is a few months away from No. 79, when the Walker Cup comes to Merion. California is second, with 67, while Massachusetts has played host to 53.
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