The next door neighbour's Party

[Marty Bonnar]

So your delightful next-door neighbour throws his biggest party of the year. A party he's been throwing for years and years and years. Why, it's one of the oldest parties in town. He even offers nice presents, especially to those people who stay to the end. This is a four day party-fest of the finest kind. He hosts the event in such a lovely garden too. People come from all over the world, but oddly you can't really be bothered. Okay, a few chums turn up. Mostly out of misplaced loyalty or the thought of maybe getting a nice present. But, despite it all, you can't really be bothered.
What's up? All partied out? Too much foie gras already this year? That foreign food not to your liking? And as for their beer?
Oh well.

FBD.

[Joe Hancock]

RSVP,

I'll try to make it, but Redanman sends his regards......

Joe

[Michael Moore]

Martin -

Is this tortured analogy a reference to Woody Austin skipping the Open Championship?

He said that he was exhausted and that he did not really know how to play golf on a links course.

What's so odd about that?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

There's not enough Moosehead in Canada for some of the guys to show up.

[Bob_Huntley]

Michael,

How were you able to decipher this so quickly? I am amazed at your antennae.

Bob

[Phil McDade]

Watson won the first time he played the Open Championship, I believe.

[mike_beene]

It is beyond me why the tour treats the great tournaments like crap .I dont even know the name of this thing at Firestone and fed ex cup mentions during serious tournaments nauseates me.

[Peter Pallotta]

I've been reading, and enjoying, Martin's posts for months now. He is the king of the tortured and nearly indecipherable analogy. How he manages to pull them off with such aplomb is beyond me. If he designed courses, they'd be ALL quirk - but he'd still have golfers lining up to pay a fortune to play them. I'd bet his quixotic ways would work very well in the screwy, made-up world of high finance. If his picture didn't strike me as that of a full-grown man, I'd think him an elf, or some such thing.

Woody Austin, on the other hand, is not an elf. God bless him, I'm a big fan of Woody's, but aplomb isn’t his style. He seems like a fine golfer and good man, one who'd never hurt anyone but himself. But he's probably right in thinking the quirky, quixotic, and tortured analogy that is links golf beyond him.

Peter

This post is nearly worthless, of course, except as a chance to compliment Martin on his always enjoyable posts. I'm not even sure he's talking about Woody Austin. The joke, then, would be on me. I'm also NOT an elf.

[David_Tepper]

Martin -

Don't you run this post every year? There will always be some U.S. tour pro eligible to play in The Open who just does not want to make the trip over to the UK for event. Some will have legitimate reasons, others are just lazy and small-minded.

This year it was Woody Austin. In past years, it was Scott Hoch and Curtis Strange. Did Bruce Lietzke every play in The Open? Who knows? Who cares?  

With it taking currently taking $2.05 U.S. to buy 1 British pound, I am not sure I can blame any U.S. pro for staying close to home.  (and I am the guy who makes 2 trips a year to Scotland!)

I should also add that flying from the U.S. to Scotland thru Heathrow is no picnic these days. I think I read that the golf club bags of  9 U.S. pros flying thru Heathrow to Scotland got lost for at least a day while transferring planes there.    

DT

[Jim Nugent]

Peter, Martin also writes the most offbeat headlines for his threads, which he also pulls off.  The heart of a novelist or poet beats inside him.  

[Steve_ Shaffer]

For some reason, I thought this thread was about the Canadian Open.

In any event, Boo Weekley showed up at Carnoustie. What more do you want, Martin?

[Marty Bonnar]

This thread IS actually about the Canadian Open. Watching last night I was surprised by the non-appearance of the more, ahem, well-known PGA poodles. What's up with them?

Wacky-looking rough too! Carnoustie '99 looks positively bikini-waxed...

Certainly not about the Woody. Those shirts are just way too hot.

The BBC interviewed Boo and KJ. I'm not sure which one was more unintelligible. They were both a hoot. The fragrant Hazel asks Boo: "So, Boo, I assume you grew up knowing about the Open and golf in Scotland."
Boo:"No ma'am, fit ain' hunin, shooin oar fishn i ain ineresed."

FBD.

[PThomas]

Martin -

Don't you run this post every year? There will always be some U.S. tour pro eligible to play in The Open who just does not want to make the trip over to the UK for event. Some will have legitimate reasons, others are just lazy and small-minded.

This year it was Woody Austin. In past years, it was Scott Hoch and Curtis Strange. Did Bruce Lietzke every play in The Open? Who knows? Who cares?  

With it taking currently taking $2.05 U.S. to buy 1 British pound, I am not sure I can blame any U.S. pro for staying close to home.  (and I am the guy who makes 2 trips a year to Scotland!)

I should also add that flying from the U.S. to Scotland thru Heathrow is no picnic these days. I think I read that the golf club bags of  9 U.S. pros flying thru Heathrow to Scotland got lost for at least a day while transferring planes there.    

DT

Curtis Strange once said he used to skip the British because everyone said he "had" to play in it...he also admitted he regretted later skipping it

[David_Tepper]

Martin -

Sorry I misread the intent of your original post.

As discussed on the "DLIII, Angus Glen" thread, the Canadian Open has had a number of problems over the past decade or so and has really lost its luster as a feature event (which is was 20-30 years ago) on the PGA Tour.

I think being bounced around on the PGA Tour schedule and not having a dedicated sponsor are the 2 biggest problems. I don't think it is a case of American players being afraid or reluctant to cross the border.

P. Thomas -

As I noted on Martin's other thread, it is nice to see Scott Hoch on the British Senior Open . He was another guy who was very reluctant to travel to the UK to play in The Open.

DT    

[Kalen Braley]

I don't think its just the Canadian Open having this type of problem though.  The Western Open comes to mind as a tourney that is not what it once was.

The At&T at Pebble Beach also has a lot of history and at times is poorly attended by the big names...

[RJ_Daley]

Boo:"No ma'am, fit ain' hunin, shooin oar fishn i ain ineresed."

Aye Marty, mah complimints ta' yer facultees ta' pick up onna local lingo.  Eye wish eye culd write so wail inna forgn tunge...

Ye shuld werk in ta' ewe in as a' intearpriture.  

[David_Tepper]

Kalen -

You are absolutely right. I think the rise over the past 10-15 years of the Players (as the 5th most important tournament, major or not), the 3 world golf events, the Presidents Cup and the increased stature of the Ryder Cup have all shifted focus away from a number of tournaments with longer histories.

That is progress, of a sort.

DT  

[Kalen Braley]

Kalen -

You are absolutely right. I think the rise over the past 10-15 years of the Players (as the 5th most important tournament, major or not), the 3 world golf events, the Presidents Cup and the increased stature of the Ryder Cup have all shifted focus away from a number of tournaments with longer histories.

That is progress, of a sort.

DT  

Agreed,

Curtis Strange mentioned this years ago after the advent of the new world golf championships that added 4 tournmanents to an already full schedule.  It really has created A list and B list tournaments.  

And while the majors and the bigger tournies like the Memorial and Arnies tournament still remain big, its come at the expense of tournaments as mentioned above.  Throw in the fact that there are 8 tournaments directly before and after a major that players may or may not want to play in and the net effect is, its taken its toll on some really big events.

Perhaps they really do need to adopt the LPGA rule where a player must play every tourney at least once every 3 or 4 years???