Average Golfer

Having Michelle Wie win the LPGA's Q-school tournament would the best Christmas present LPGA Supreme Leader Bivens could ask possibly expect. Michelle skipping her spring semester at Stanford would be the second best. Today Michelle did her best to grant Bivens the former.

Wie stroked a sensational -7, 65 to share the second round lead with 1st round leader Shiho Oyama, 64, 70. Nipping at heir heels was Stacy Lewis, whose quiet 66 today left her one back at 135. Wie played the Champions course, considered to be easier due to expansive fairways. Wie pulled her driver with regularity versus yesterday en route to a 11 of 14 fairways, 13 of 18 greens, and 24 putt round that echoed the Michelle we've hoped to see. She birdied four of her last five holes for a strong finish that should lead well into round three. Her prodigious talent was full on display for the 1st time in a while. Wie's new found approach of not speaking with the media until after the final round is still in effect.

Wie is certainly not unchallenged this week. Playing the more difficult Legends course, Oyama scored an excellent -2, 70 that coupled with yesterday's gem gave Wie company at the top. Also on the Legends course, Stacy Lewis provided the round of the day, an impressive 66. These three seem to be pulling away from the field leaving lots of interesting action in the middle as these women battle for 2009 LPGA playing privileges. Tomorrow will significantly narrow player's options heading into the weekend. Be there!

Til' next,

Full 2nd round results.

90 grueling holes for 20 coveted spots is the MO for LPGA Q School at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, FL. It's a personified pressure cooker as women golfers try to attain life long dreams or keep an existing dream going. The down side of 90 holes is the endurance required. The upside is you could have an iffy round and still survive. One iffy round, not two.

Shiho Oyama and Mika Miyazato, an amateur, started their rounds on fire with front side 31s. Oyama took the first 18 hole lead with a scorching 64. Miyazato was two behind in solo second with a 66. Both of their rounds were carded on the statistically easier Champions course, one of two being used in the event. Mollie Fankhauser and Amy Yang shared joint 3rd with 67s. Jeehae Lee held 4th place alone with a 68 and Audra Burks, Stacy Lewis and Michelle Wie split 6th place with 69s, Wie's coming on the narrower, more difficult Legends course. Full 1st round scores.

The 1st round can't win you one of these things, but it can lose it for you. LPGA veterans Vicki Goetze-Ackerman and A.J. Eathorne found this out with 1st day +4, 76s. Naree Song struggled to a 75 and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc trod perilous ground with an opening 74.

The first three rounds figure to be positioning for the last two days on the weekend. Think of it as a horse race with five turns. Stay tuned. Pure excitement and butterflies in the stomach are hallmarks of Q School.

Til' next,

My great friend Dean Miller is a thinker. He thinks more than anyone I've ever met. His thinking results in ideas, some of which are labeled "Gee, that's interesting", the rest labeled, "Huh?". He recently suggested to me that golf would be more interesting to watch and certainly more satisfying for amateurs to play if the size of the hole was doubled. At first this sounds a little like a lunatic fringe rant, but if you really think about it.....

The standard size for a golf hole was determined in 1891 by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. They felt it was finally a time for standardization of the hole size, as they were in the process of standardizing everything else about golf, short of trouser selection. The decided size landed at 4.25 inches. A prevalent rumor is that a nearby club, Musselburgh Links, had invented a hole cutter derived from a piece of pipe that was, you guessed it, 4.25 inches in diameter. True or not, it's definitely convenient. With golf ball size mandated at no less than 1.68 inches, the ball is 39.5% of the hole size. Compare that to basketball where the ball is exactly 50% of the hoop size. Would that suggest that sinking a 15 foot putt should be easier than making a free throw? Maybe for Shaq.

Assuming the hole size was doubled putting would obviously be easier. That means quicker rounds for amateurs and half of the discouragement that forces some beginners to quit the game out of frustration. "Gimme" distance would increase and "inside the leather" would be outdated.
From a professional perspective we'd spend much less time watching pros agonize over every putt as if their very lives depended on it. Great ball strikers and accurate approach shots would finally receive their due reward. No more three putt pars on par fives after hitting a green in two. TV air times could be reduced and golf tournaments would cease to seem as long as a trip to the dentist. Maybe, just maybe, we would see the demise of the ridiculous plumb bob, which is as confidence inspiring as a divining rod. Anyone ever see Tiger Woods plumb bob? More chip-ins, pitch-ins, and shots holed from the fairway. What's not to like? Golf tournaments would at last become a staple on SportsCenter, a continuous highlight reel.

Of course if you doubled the size of the hole all current tournament scoring records would be rendered obsolete. Hey, that wasn't a problem for Major League Baseball when their record books were assaulted by steroid munching superstars. Hmm, 500 yard drives and 10 putts per round. Someone could shoot in the 40s.

Til' next,

Let's all be realistic for a cotton pickin' second. Does anyone really think that Tiger Woods has been driving a Buick for the last nine years? I'd bet his gardener, nanny, personal assistant, etc. may be driving them, but Tiger, no way. Too stodgy.

Susan Docherty, GM vice-president for Buick-Pontiac-GMC said in an email to dealers today, “It’s with great emotion that I wish to inform you that the time has come for our long term relationship with Tiger Woods to end.” On his end Woods issued the following statement, “I am very proud of the long-standing partnership I’ve had with GM and have enjoyed being a part of the company’s dramatic product evolution.’’ In other words, thanks for the memories.

Woods had one year remaining on a five-year deal worth $40 million, according to Advertising Age magazine. So, one less year cost him and saved GM eight million dollars. I don't expect Woods will have much of a problem replacing that endorsement money if he chooses. It seems like a pittance in savings on GM's part, but it's a statement of austerity that reflects the collapsing domestic automobile business and an effort to save money that GM sorely needs to portray as they pitch the corporate bail out idea to Washington.

You would think that Woods would be the ideal pitchman for anything, even hemorrhoid cream, but I never saw the Buick marriage as made in heaven. Buick's demographic was and is the 54-75 year old somewhat affluent guy with golf being a common denominator. I'd picture Arnie or a Jay Haas type as carrying more weight with those consumers. I'm certain Buick tried to lower their median purchaser age by hiring Woods, but they never built the product that was desirable to a younger audience. I'd fancy Tiger as more of a Toyota or Lexus spokesperson. That said, I'm sure he didn't hurt them, I just think it was a round peg in a square hole.

Coincidentally, I spent twenty five years in dealership management, a number of which were in GM dealerships during the Tiger era. We were feasted with Buick/Tiger promo material and more than a few ProV1 s with Buick logos came my way. I decided to leave the business exactly one year ago. Sadly, my brethren still in the business have much more to worry about now than just the loss of free golf balls.

Til' next,