The Ranking: Calcavecchia's Mark, Jay Haas' Weekend and John Daly II Cashes In
These are the most important stories in the world … ever.
10. Save the dates: Pebble Beach will host the 2044 U.S. Open and the 2048 U.S. Women’s Open. They are among eight Opens awarded over the next 25 years or so to Pebble Beach, which joins Pinehurst and Oakmont as USGA anchor sites for future Opens. What will you be doing in 2044 during U.S. Open week? Probably watching 500-yard drives and debating whether something should finally be done about the golf ball …
9. Send lawyers, guns and money — OK, mostly money. According to the Boston Globe, a Massachusetts family (with three children aged 5 and under) won a nearly $5 million judgment in a lawsuit against a neighboring country club because golf balls bombarded their house. Never mind that the course opened in 2001 and the family bought the house in 2017. The Indian Pond CC plans to appeal the judgment, which included $3.5 million for emotional distress, but meanwhile has moved the 15th tee to abate the problem. Here’s a gutsy prediction on this case’s real winner — the lawyers …
8. Mark Calcavecchia played in his 1,000th PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament. He’s 61, it took him 40 years to become the 23rd player to hit the thousand mark, which he did at last week’s ClubCorp Classic, where he finished 66th. Also notable: Calc leads Tiger Woods by 631 starts. If Tiger plays eight times a year for 80 years …
7. Wait, there’s more News-avecchia? Yes. Calcavecchia, the 1989 British Open winner at Troon, will tee it up at this summer’s 150th Open at St. Andrews. He planned to make the 2020 Open his finale when he turned 60 but the pandemic canceled the event. He wrote a letter to the R&A asking to be considered for the 2022 Open and was granted an exemption. Calc said the return letter stated, “We love to take care of our past champions.” Fortunately, St. Andrews has three months to stock up on pizzas and beer …
6. The Geezer Report continues. So, wait — Calcavecchia gets into the Open without a hitch. So how come two-time Open champion Greg Norman asked for an exemption last week and was firmly rejected? Norman, 67, last played an Open in 2009. Is his affiliation with the proposed LIV Golf Invitational Series, a rival for the PGA and DP World Tours, a factor? Nah, couldn’t be. The R&A “love to take care of our past champions.” …
5. The old news is getting even older. Jay Haas teamed with his son, Bill, and holed a five-foot par putt on the 36th hole to make the cut in the Zurich Classic, a two-man team event. That meant Jay, 68, surpassed 67-year-old Sam Snead as the oldest player to make a PGA Tour cut. Team Haas finished 36th. The elder Haas said that putt was “something I’ll never forget.” Imagine a 68-year-old saying he’s not going to forget something. Hey, Jay — where did you put your car keys last night? Just checking ...
4. Hooters signed John Daly and his son, John II, to endorsement deals. Big John has long been a Hooters endorsee and is known for parking his motor home at the Hooters just up the street from Augusta National during Masters week and selling merchandise. Little John is a freshman at the University of Arkansas. Is a two-fer endorsement deal odd? Nope, Hooters is known for its pairs …
3. Tom Brady enters the golf apparel business. His line is called Brady. (Gronk probably helped him come up with the name.) Brady is trying to bring back the V-neck sweater, among other stylish things. Hmmm, name two things that should be permanently retired …
2. Robert Garrigus has asked the PGA Tour for a release to play in the first LIV Tour event in London in June. Robert Garrigus? The LIV Tour is saved!! ...
1. Tiger Tracker: Tiger Woods ranks No. 773 in the Official World Golf Rankings. If not for the 2.8 ranking points he racked up for finishing 47th in the Masters, he’d be falling off the radar. As a further indicator of that, we just went six full paragraphs without mentioning Tiger Woods …
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