Green Reading

It's a sad day

Wednesday was a sad day for PGA Tour rookie and Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson, a sad day for anyone who ever came into contact with his grandmother, Carole Jones of North Myrtle Beach, and a sad day for anyone who roots for and cares about good people. Jones died Wednesday morning as a result of complications from back surgery, undoubtedly leaving a void in the lives of anyone who knew her. Jones was as pleasant and positive a person as you would ever want to meet.
I last spoke to her after Dustin finished the second round of the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head Island, and she walked holes alongside Dustin with friends and family. She seemed as vibrant as ever, and of course had a smile on her face despite Dustin's struggles on the course that day. I assume she slept with a smile.
It was a shock to me that she passed considering how energetic she was just a few weeks ago. One of Jones' friends called Wednesday afternoon to relay the news, and said her back surgery two weeks ago in Raleigh, N.C., was elective, there were some sort of complications and she had been in intensive care since.
Jones was proud of her grandson and his accomplishments, as well she should have been, considering she was largely responsible for them. Jones helped fund Dustin's junior and amateur careers, and even traveled with him _ just the two of them _ to some events. Their bond remained strong, as they regularly met for dinner on Wednesdays throughout Johnson's college career. Her support and love were instrumental in guiding Dustin to the career he’s now enjoying.
Dustin is scheduled to play beginning Thursday at the AT&T Classic in Duluth, Ga., in honor of Carole. `I told him she would want him to play, so he's going to give it a try,’’ said Dustin's father and Carole's son, Scott.
Scott said that in keeping with implicit instructions in Carole's will, there not be any services. There will instead be a celebration of her life in the near future. Considering the happiness with which she lived, it should be one heck of a celebration.
Some people are missed more than others because of what they give and mean to the people in their lives, and I can assure you Carole Jones will be missed immeasurably.

Annika out

It's hard to imagine Annika Sorenstam won't cringe next year every time she watches an LPGA Tour event or sees a highlight from one. All the work she put into rehab following her neck injury last year was supposedly to get back to the top of the women's golf world. And last week, when she won by seven shots and went head to head with No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, she certainly looked like someone who was ready to regain the No. 1 ranking.
She's only 37, and it sure didn't look like she has lost any of her competitive desire. You would have to assume that was the driving force behind her rehab work. And for the first time since Karrie Webb was at the top of her game close to a decade ago, Sorenstam has someone to push her in Ochoa, who has won five times this year to Sorenstam's three. The anticipated duel between Sorenstam and Ochoa over the next couple years was going to be the most intriguing story on the LPGA Tour. Stepping away and allowing others to dominate a sport she has ruled for a decade with 72 wins and 10 majors, and could still rule, will have to pull at her on almost a daily basis next year.

Tiger's chasers

Sergio Garcia's seventh win on the PGA Tour _ and his biggest at that with his victory Sunday in The Players Championship _ continues a trend this year that bodes well for the future of the PGA Tour. Garcia is 28, and he's the ninth player in his 20s to win this year, already surpassing the seven who won in 2007.
Other young potential stars who have won in the past month include Adam Scott and Anthony Kim, a couple players who should win several more titles in the coming years. It's highly unlikely that any one player will challenge the dominance of Tiger Woods in the next decade, assuming Woods remains relatively healthy. But as a group, the young rising stars on the tour can do it collectively. They can attempt to challenge Woods by trading off victories.
The game's established stars have had their shot at Woods, and have generally had the will beaten out of them. These players include Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, and the list goes on and on. But some of the young players haven't been beaten enough to cower, yet. As a group they may be able to slow the Tiger Express. At least more than their predecessors have done in the past decade.

Bruises for the ball, a perfect perch, six more years

I ran into former Quail Hollow Club general manager Monte Smith at his new restaurant, Cafe Monte, Saturday night and he shared a story that makes you further question human decency. Smith left the GM post in March 2007 after about two years, but was in attendance for last year's final round with his family, and was to the side of the 18th green when Tiger Woods picked up his ball from the cup after holing the final putt and threw tossed it over the crowd. Monte watched as the ball landed about 20 feet from him and rolled by the feet of an elderly woman walking along with a cane. A throng of 15 or more men rushed and dove for the ball. When the dust settled, the woman remained on the ground, paramedics were called and she was taken from the scene on a stretcher. All for a golf ball. Hopefully today's winner will keep the ball in his pocket.

The best spectator area at Quail Hollow Club has to be the bank to the right of the 17th green. For starters, the 17th hole is the most intriguing hole on the course, measuring as long as 217 yards over water. Secondly, from there you can see shots coming into the 14th green across the water. The 14th can be an exciting and pivotal hole because it's a par-4 measuring no more than 343 yards and often less, and yields a lot of birdies and possibly eagles. In Sunday's final round, within a few minutes of each other, you could watch Robert Garrigus nearly ace the 17th _ his ball stopping 3 1/2 feet behind the hole _ and Steve Flesh nearly make a double eagle on the 14th with a drive that rolled tantalizingly close to the cup. He settled for an eagle with an 11-foot putt.

If you've enjoyed the Wachovia as a spectator in past years or hope to get to Quail Hollow Club in the future, you'll be happy to learn Wachovia Corporation has signed on through 2014 to be the tournament's title sponsor.

Missing Tiger

Interest in the PGA Tour is so predicated on Tiger Woods participating in tournaments, and he definitely would have been at the Wachovia Championship this year to defend his title had he not had knee surgery. It's believed Woods will make this an annual stop on his goodwill for golf campaign. So how much is Woods missed this week by tournament organizers and fans in the Carolinas? Well, the tournament was a sellout before anyone knew he wasn't coming, and the crowds have not suffered by his absence at all. There may not be as much of a buzz, however. A Mecklenberg County officer working the tournament said they haven't had to argue with as many people trying to park their car close to the tournament without the necessary parking passes. ``The crowds are still the same, there's just not that same enviroment,'' said the female officer, who is admittedly not a golf fan, but is a Tiger fan. ``I think Tiger is so well known, he's someone everyone can associate with even if you're not a golf fan.''
The players often notice a difference, even aside from the added money and fame that can be had at an event without Woods in the field. ``Without a doubt there's a huge void when he's not here,'' Masters champion Trevor Immelman  said. ``The guy is probably going to go down as the greatest player of all time, and the thing that I respect most about him is the way that he handles himself on and off the golf course and the fact that he understands the impact he has on people and the impact he has on the game, and he acts accordingly. That's why people come out in droves to see him.
``. . . There's a lot of great players here, but one Tiger Woods is worth a hell of a lot.''

Bridge to nowhere, Wachovia standards

Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson didn't make the cut despite shooting a 1-under-par 71 on Friday _ because of a 78 on Thursday _ but did leave spectators on the 18th hole entertained with one of the more interesting shots of the day. Johnson missed the 18th fairway to the right with one of his few poor drives of the day, and got a little strong with his pitch back into the fairway from beneath trees in pinestraw. His pitched rolled through the fairway and onto a brick and cement walking bridge that crosses a creek running down the left side of the hole. Johnson was awarded a free drop off the back side of the bridge by a rules official and made a bogey on the hole. Johnson assures he didn't do it intentionally for the entertainment value. ``No, no, no. I hit it a little too hard,'' he said.

The Wachovia Championship has quickly gained a reputation in its six years of existence as one of the premiere tournaments on the PGA Tour. The quality of the Quail Hollow Club layout has a lot to do with it, but the reasons goes a lot deeper than that. The Wachovia earned it early with the way it treated players, their families and caddies. The tournament sponsors a luncheon for the PGA Tour Wives Association and always sponsors some sort of outing or trip for them, caddies get valet parking, and each player receives a Mercedes-Benz for a courtesy car. The list of amenities goes on and on. Even in the media tent, the chairs at each work desk are high-end leather office chairs. The standard the Wachovia set in 2003 has led to other tournaments to follow suit in an attempt to attract the best fields.
``I love this golf course, I love the tournament, the way it's run,'' Phil Mickelson said. ``What this tournament has done for the PGA Tour is it has elevated all the other events to try to keep pace with what Wachovia has done by leading by example.''

Philanthropic Phil, Colonel Sanders winging it

After signing his scorecard and taking part in a television interview, Phil Mickelson mingled with fans for a good 20 to 25 minutes near the scorer's building, signing everything put in front of him until the last of about 50 fans had an autograph. It was by far the most time anyone spent giving autographs, and is something Mickelson regularly does. Eli Privette, 12, of Waxhaw, N.C., was the last person to get a signature, on his red visor. While Privette spent a few hours capturing autographs in the same area, Mickelson's name was the only one that adorned his Wachovia Championship visor. All other signatures were collected on his ticket. ``I'm just going to leave Phil by himself,'' Privette said. Mickelson and Tiger are his two favorite players, and without Woods' penmanship to take up space on the visor, it was going to stay that way.

Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson teed off at 2 p.m., just before Conway High graduate Curt Sanders finished with a bogey on the 18th hole to fall to 4 over for the first round. The club pro from Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C., made birdies on holes 12 and 15 to get down to 1 over, but made a double bogey on the 16th and bogey on the 18th. ``It was a frustrating finish,'' Sanders said. ``I did some things well. I'm happy I hung tough and stayed patient. I was accepting of mistakes today. I can look back and see I did a lot of things right. I just didn't putt well.'' Sanders took 34 putts on Thursday, including three three-putts and a painful 19 putts on the front nine, which accounted for his tough start.

Child's play, friendly Chris and Appleby's rush

The difficult 18^th hole at Quail Hollow Country Club was mere child’s play early Tuesday evening following practice rounds. It didn’t seem so imposing to Charlotte residents Ann Mills Cobb, 8; CeCe Cobb, 5; and Sarah Rogers, 8, who played on a short bridge beside the green that crosses a creek.
But play on the 478-yard par-4 closing hole will become a lot more serious Thursday. The 18^th has a meandering creek down its left side and has ranked among the four most difficult closing holes on the PGA Tour in relation to par in each of the past four years. It completes what is statistically the most difficult three-hole closing stretch on the PGA Tour. The stretch also includes the 480-yard par-4 16^th and 217-yard par-3 17^th. It is sure to play a part in the outcome Sunday. Inaugural Wachovia champion David Toms won in 2003 despite making a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 72^nd hole.

You can tell a lot about PGA Tour players by watching them when the camera is off, or when they don’t think there are many people around to see their actions. As a number of players came through a tunnel beneath bleachers onto the driving range, a handful of mostly children were lined up on a fence requesting autographs. Many players walked through without acknowledging them, Brandt Snedeker promised he’d sign after he finished hitting balls, and Chris DiMarco stopped on his way to the range to sign.

I may have caused Stuart Appleby some undue stress Wednesday afternoon. He was scheduled to tee off in the pro-am at 1:21 p.m., and as he was walking alongside me from the driving range toward the locker room, and first tee box, he asked what time it was. I looked at my watch and told him 1:15. With that, he began a hurried jog, looked back and said, ``I hope your watch is fast.’’ I checked my phone, which had 1:11, a time that would have allowed a more leisurely pace. A missed pro-am tee time results in disqualification. Sorry Stuart.

Inspiration, blimpy, Boo and tough breaks

Sunday at the Verizon Heritage got started with a 7:30 a.m. church service on the 18th green that featured an inspirational Brooke Pernice. PGA Tour veteran Tom Pernice Jr. was was part of the service. He was interviewed by former Atlanta Braves pitcher Jose Alvarez, who is now with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. But the star of the proceedings was his 13-year-old daughter, Brooke, who is blind. She's an aspiring christian/country singer and sang a pair of songs. Her mother, Sydney, creates her lyrics and she brings them to life.

Watching the Verizon Heritage telecast on CBS, you can't help but believe few courses lend themselves to aerial pictures from the blimp more than Harbour Town, with the 17th and 18th along Calibogue Sound and the candy-striped lighthouse at the head of the marina.

Having Boo Weekley as a defending champion isn't the worst thing in the world. He's always entertaining, and he's thankful, so you know he's going to show up for the media day on a Monday more than a month before the event.

Harbour Town showed some of its character and nuances, be them just or unfair, on the back nine in the final round Sunday. Stewart Cink had an adventure on the par-3 14th. He found a very small pot bunker to the back left of the green but couldn't aim at the green because his ball was near the back lip. So he blasted behind the green and the ball swung toward water to the right of the putting surface, bouncing off the top of a bulkhead and coming to rest a few inches from it. Cink made a double bogey.
Jim Furyk had to bang his club up against a wooden bulkhead that lines the walls of some greenside bunkers yet managed to save par on the par-4 13th. At first he was worried he made contact with the ball twice. ``I wasn't worried about the wrist, I just didn't want the ball to come back and hit me or something crazy to happen,''  Furyk said. ``When I hit it, it sounded funny. I heard two hits and I saw a joint scuff on the heel of my sand wedge and a joint scuff on the ball. So I played it off of the wood, that was the two hits that I heard.''

Walking around Harbour Town

Though it has nothing to do with golf, the boat name the ``Yellow Jacket'' has been a hot topic of conversation at the Verizon Heritage this week. It is owned by John and Elizabeth Calvert, the prominent Hilton Head Island couple that owned the famous marina near the course and vanished March 3, leaving few clues behind. The boat is docked at the slip closest to Harbour Town Golf Links' 18th green, and though a tarp covers the boat name on the back of the boat, many can spot it and know all about it. It was the Calverts' part-time home and has remained docked in the marina since their disappearance. The unsolved case is intriguing, considering the Calverts haven't been found the last known person to have seen the couple alive, Dennis Gerwing, is dead and it's believed he took his own life after being named a "person of interest" by authorities.

To look on the cards of playing partners Jay Williamson and Jason Bohn, the 195-yard seventh hole wouldn't appear to be especially exciting. Williamson made a birdie and Bohn a par. But spectators around the hole nearly had a highlight to remember. Both players came up short of the green in a vast bunker that nearly surrounds it. And both were shortsided with a front pin. Williamson went first and holed out, lightly landing the ball on the front of the green and watching it roll into the hole. Bohn also landed his ball softly on the front and watched it slowly roll to the hole, lifting his arms a moment prematurely as the ball lipped out.