Capelle On Golf

2008 US Women’s Open

Big deal if Tiger isn’t playing the rest of the year. The majors are still must see TV, and that includes the Women’s versions when Johnny Miller in on the mike. So on this Saturday afternoon I settled in for the third round of the US Women’s Open, notepad at the ready. Below are my observations, which are sprinkled with some classic Millerisms.

Those Silly Driveable Par 4s
Classic short par 4s such as the 17th at Oakmont and the 10th at Riviera are among the great holes in golf. Tricked up par 4s from the braintrust of the USGA are not. They ruined the 14th at Torrey Pines on Sunday when they shortened it by 160 yards. Now at the Women’s Open they saw fit to slice 68 yards off the seventh on Saturday, turning it into a driveable (whoopee – how exciting!) 248 yard par 4. Yikes!

Ochoa’s Disappointing Open
The announcers informed us that she lost her an uncle and grandfather in the last month. No wonder this family oriented player is off her game. She’s currently at 43t, but she knows there are more important things than golf.

Helen Alfredsson’s Swing
“Her swing has got more moves than kung fu,” said Miller. Still, she’s tied for second in GIR at 80%, so it must be working. She once led the Open with a 36 hole total of 132 before imploding. Will the 43-year old hold up tomorrow or won’t she?

Golf Needs a Divot Rule
On the par 4 11th, Paula Creamer split the fairway, but her ball ended up in a divot and she went on to make bogey. Isn’t it about time golf cut this rub-of-the-green BS in this situation and give a player a drop? Heck, Tiger routinely gets drops for drives that are 60 yards off line. At the 13th at Torrey Pines it was from a concession stand and he went on to make an eagle.

Time for Another Rule?
Jeong Jang has a super wide stripe on her ball for lining up putts. I know the line on the ball is all the rage, but it seems artificial. And hers is doubly so.

Annika Sorenstam’s Last Stand at the Open
Sorenstam is playing in her last US Open (we think), but is tied for 13th, and trails the leader by seven big strokes. She is tied for the lead in Greens in Regulation at 81%, but she’s averaging 32.67 putts.

Those Ridiculous Boomerang Shots
The game is golf, but every time I see a ball go well past the pin, then roll back and finish close to the cup, I think of miniature golf. A case in point was number 9 where 20 footers turned into 3 footers. Here’s the problem with boomerang holes: they give a player two chances to get close. The real way by hitting it close, and the phony way by overshooting the pin.

I’m Rooting for Paula Creamer, But…
Paula Creamer could disarm a prison guard with her smile, and she seems like a genuinely nice person who cares about golf. She’s cute, is a female Iron Byron, and an American, which is nice to see in a tour being dominated by foreigners. And a major at age 21 (like Tiger) could catapult her to a phenomenal career. So I’m rooting for her tomorrow. Still – I wish she’d line up her own shots. Using a caddy may be allowed by the rules, but it’s not in the spirit of the game.

Stacy Lewis’ Pro Debut
This 23 year old rookie is making her first start in a major, and will carry the 54 hole lead into Sunday’s final round. She made putts from everywhere, and will have to again on Sunday as she’s tied for 39th in GIR. Her dad’s her caddy. She has rods in her back to correct for scoliosis. She took a divot on 17 with her practice swing. Is that allowed?

Maria Jose Uribe’s Disappearing Act
I guess NBC thought we’d seen enough of the current US Amateur champion on the first two round because I don’t recall seeing her hit a shot on Saturday until her chip to #17. “You’ve got to enjoy her fire,” said Miller after she canned a birdie putt on 18 to go -4 and into a tie for seventh. Yes, we would have if they’d only showed her. But that’s TV. They pick who they want and ignore the rest, even when they are in the top 10.

Christie Kerr Won’t Defend
It will take a miracle for Kerr to defend her title as she finished seven off the lead after a 75. She was out of it early in the telecast, but they continued to show her every putt.

The ESPN2 Notification
The NBC crew had to know that the telecast was going to run about an hour long because of the whether delay, but I never recall them mentioning that they were going to leave the air, or that you could pick up the action at ESPN2, until a couple of minutes until the end. Why didn’t they tell us and show a graphic to that effect several times in the last 30-60 minutes? Did NBC not want the fans to desert that network for the end of the golf?
Now that I’m watching ESPN, I’m reminded of their scrolling scoreboard during the telecast. Please, give the ball scores a rest already during a major!

Par 73 Revisited
“That’s a lot under par in the Women’s Open,” said Miller after Creamer finished her third round a -8. The reason is the course’s bloated par of 73. After three rounds the average on the 471 yard par 5 second is 4.514. They could have moved the tee up 15 yards, the average might have dropped to 4.4, and they could have had a real Open test with a par 72.

Creamer’s Dead Solid Perfect on the Last Two Holes
A 260 yard drive down the gut on 17, a 179 yard 4-iron to 10 feet and an easy par. Two perfect shots on the par 5 18th, a pitch to eight feet and a lip out. She looks good going into Sunday. But will the Pink Panther play her customary pink ball in the final round of a major? And what determines whether or not she plays a shot with her sunglasses on?

Justice is Served, or How Quickly they Forget
Inbee Park stepped to the 18th tee at -7 and promptly hit her drive into the trees to the right, but it ricocheted into the middle of the fairway. “She got a tree-mendous break,” deadpanned Miller. A solid second and a pitch left her with an eight foot birdie putt. “Inbee Park played the hole the way you are supposed to,” said Bob Murphy. Right. A bank shot off a tree is the correct way. Her birdie putt lipped out because, according to Miller, she gave it a “Roger Ramjet” stroke. Justice was served, sort of.

Angela Park and Slow Play
Park faded to a 75 and is five back going into the final round. Earlier this year she was the only player in her group to be penalized for slow play. The penalty cost her a solo second and nearly $60k. “The officials on the men’s tour just don’t want the pressure of doing it (calling a slow play penalty),” said Miller. Amen.