Conference 7.286::golf

	Here, here!!

	Turk

    Re: 0.
    
    Very  well  said.    It  will  make  the  Walker Cup something to pay
    attention to.   I is always a good feeling seeing that a superstar is
    in the making  (he  is pretty close to be one).  And it seems that he
    is well centered and taking his time on getting to the pro tour, even
    when he has said that  is his goal since he was a kid.  Let's hope he
    stays in that frame of mind.
    

    

Sandy Lyle was recently asked, what he thought of Tiger Woods. 
He replied, I can't comment as I haven't played the course.

Certainly Tiger Woods is a great player. But I think Gordon Sherry the young
Scotsman is an equally good player. He's recent record speaks for it's self,
British Amateur: 2nd 1994, winner 1995, 3rd Scottish Open 1995( pro event
preceeding the British Open), and a fine showing in the 1995 British Open
finishing second best amateur infront of Tiger Woods.
I am going to the Walker Cup on the 9th/10th September and I am looking forward
to the top match on Sunday Woods vs Sherry.

	Dave

    Personally, I don't think Tiger Woods is going to win all those majors
    that everyone says he will.  Sure, he's good and he has length and he
    has lots of time to learn but I don't see in him what I've seen in Tom
    Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman or Arnold Palmer.  And that is the
    ability to just run off 6 birdies in a row as if they do it every day.
    
    Tiger is a steady player but he just doesn't strike me as the kind of
    player that can fire away birdie after birdie to win a major.  Yes, he
    did hit a great shot on the 18th under pressure but that was one shot
    and it was in match play.  Very different from stroke play.
    
    As .0 said, only time will tell.  I think Tiger is also making a wise
    decision by staying in college.  It will season him and perhaps prepare
    him for the tour.  It will also be interesting to see how he does in
    next year's Master's as a preview of things to come.  I was a little
    disappointed in Tiger's appearances this year at the Master's, US Open
    and British Open.
                     
    The tour is very different from the amateur/college ranks.  Ask a guy
    like Phil Mickelson.
    
    Just my opinion,
    Mike

<<< Note 2040.4 by MRLAT::RASPUZZI "Michael Raspuzzi - LAT & VMS engineering" >>>
                            -< he needs more time >-

I have to disagree with you, Mike.

One thing Tiger *can* do is run off a bunch of birdies. What he lacks is 
hole-after-hole consistency. That'll come. Heck, he made the cut in both 
the Masters and the Open, and probably would've made the US Open cut, too, 
but for a wrist injury that forced him to withdraw. That's no small 
accomplishment for a pro, let alone a 19 year old amateur. What Tiger 
*does* have is a Nicklausian concentration, a Palmerian competitive fire, 
and a Watsonian intellect (to the extent even of going to Stanford!). 
What's more, he has the confidence to be incredibly intimidating. All of 
which could add up to a lot of majors. It's certainly added up to a lot of 
match-play success.

Sherry was *very* impressive at the Open - more so than Tiger, to be sure. 
But that was on Sherry's home turf, basically. And how old is Sherry? Even 
just a year or two is a *lot* at this age. Anyway, the Walker Cup is going 
to be more interesting than it's been since Bobby dropped from competitive 
golf.

Well, Mike, you want to bet a round of golf and a beer to follow that Tiger
wins 2 majors within the next 5 years?

Tom

    
    Hi Tom,
    
    	Reply .0
    
    	Very well written. Tiger is truly the first to come along and
    	set new records at the amateur level in ages.
    
    	Does he have what it takes to be the measure of a Nicklaus?
    
    	He does.
    
    	I was surprised that preceding the final 8 iron shot Tiger
    	stiffed on 18 in the US amatuer.. Johnny Miller stated he
    	expected Tiger would knock it a foot. Of course he was wrong
    	Tiger knocked it 1 foot 6 inches!
    
    	Just to hear Johnny backing the kid with such high regard..
    	when Tiger needed to make a birdie to close out his opponent,
    	for a back to back victory in one of the toughest formats...
    	under all the pressure of being pursued by the press daily.
    	Everyone expected him to win... and he STILL won! 
    
    	And to have Johnny Miller ( who normally says something like
    	" Gee, here's a perfect opportunity to choke " )... expecting
    	Tiger to slam dunk it from 140 yard out???
    
    	I think/hope the next 20 years will be filled with Tiger Woods.
    
    	But then again... what do I know, I thought the 86 Red Sox
    	would win the World Series! ;)
    
    	Walta
    	
    	

Re: .3

Care to make a wager on that Sunday match, Dave? :-)

Re: .6

Howdy, Walta! 
Need a partner for this year's Challenge Cup? What? There 
isn't one? Dang. We'd make a good scramblin' pair. With your length, iron 
play, and putting, and my keen powers of observation, how could we lose? 
:-)

Tom

    
    Hi Tom,
    
    	That's a very enjoyable piece of writing about Newport
    CC and Tiger Woods.  Maybe I enjoyed it even more because 
    Newport CC is my favorite course for all the reasons you
    mentioned and for the simple beauty of the golf course and
    the surrounding area.  I've been lucky enough to have played
    there quite a few times over the past 20 years or so and 
    have told so many people that I could play only there
    for the rest of my life and be very happy. (I'd also have
    to be quite rich which would also make me very happy)
    
    I witnessed Tiger's victory against Buddy on Sunday and
    I was very impressed with both players but especially
    with Tiger Woods.  I would expect Tiger to win a major
    as an amateur. (assuming he stays an amateur)  He is 
    an exceptional player in all regards.
    
    I'd love to see him close to the leaders as he turns
    Amen Corner next April.
    
    /Dave                                                    
    

                     <<< Note 2040.8 by RICKS::DEVERELL >>>
                             -<  A Patient Tiger >-

Hi, Dave! Still playing the Stow league?

You raise an interesting possibility. If *I* were Tiger, I'd consider 
staying an amateur for the rest of my life. He could very easily get a job 
with some company that would have him entertaining clients out on the golf 
course once in a while, but otherwise keep him free to compete in as many 
opens and other tournaments as he cared to enter. He's got the smarts 
to do real work, if that interests him.

Imagine if he won a couple Opens, Masters, U.S. Opens, U.S. and British 
Amateurs - all while an amateur! I'd *love* to see those tour guys running 
scared. It would be great for the game.

Why not? He could command a tremendous salary - as much or more than he
could make on the tour, so that shouldn't stop him. He could still do 
endorsements without losing his amateur status - as long as he didn't 
endorse golf equipment.

The problem, the reason he probably won't and couldn't do it, is that it 
wouldn't give him enough competition day in and day out to compete 
consistently well on that level.

Too bad. It sure would be nice to see a truly great amateur in the spirit 
of Bobby Jones rise again...And if anyone could do it, it's Tiger.

The impact he's already going to have on the game is likely to be on a par 
with that of Francis Ouimet, given his racial and ethnic heritage. This 
would make it even greater.

Ah well...a guy can dream.

Tom

    
    
     Over here in the UK, we haven't seen a great deal of Tiger Woods,
    but we do hear all the good reports from the States. It'll be
    interesting how he performs in the Walker Cup against the British
    Amateur champion, Gordon Sherry.
    
     Sherry is a couple of years older than Woods and big things are
    expected from him once he turns pro. Sherry is still at university
    completing his degree. He has had an outstanding year since winning
    the amateur, he outscored Woods in both the Scottish and British Opens.
    Although these were on "home" soil, you should remember that he played
    with Norman and Watson in the first 2 rounds of the Open and outscored
    both of them in both rounds. Prior to the Scottish Open, Sherry played
    in the European Amateur Team contest in Belgium. He was undefeated in
    the event and then finished 4th in the Scottish, playing 13 rounds of
    golf in 10 days. He then went on to St. Andrews to complete all 4
    rounds. 
    
    Danny.

    
    
    
     Great Britain and Ireland won the Walker Cup for only the 4th time
    with a 14 - 10 victory over the USA at Royal Porthcawl over the
    weekend.
    
     The much anticipated match between Tiger Woods and Gordon Sherry never
    took place. Sherry was first man out on both singles rounds while Woods
    was last man out for the States.
    
     The foursomes were halved on both days, with the home team winning the
    singles 5 - 3 on both occassions.
    
     Woods was a disappointment for the US team. Although winning 2 from 4,
    his general play was quite scrappy. He hits the ball huge distances but
    was consistently missing/overhitting greens with his approach play.
    Durings Saturdays final singles match, he had a 2-foot putt on 17 to go
    1 up on his opponent, he missed. He then put his 2nd shot to 18 out of
    bounds, handing victory to Britain. A possible tie after day 1 turned
    into a 2 point lead for Britain.
    
    Match results, Britain/Ireland first
    
    G. Sherry/S. Gallacher lost to J. Harris and T. Woods 4 @ 3
    M. Foster/D. Howell    halved with A. Bratton and C. Riley
    G. Rankin/B. Howard    lost to N. Begay and T. Jackson 4 @ 3
    P. Harrington/J. Fanagan bt K. Cox and T. Kuehne 5 @ 3
    
    Sherry beat Begay 3 @ 2
    Foster beat Marucci 4 @ 3
    Gallacher beat Jackson 4 @ 3
    James lost to Cox 1 hole
    Harrington beat J. Courville 2 holes
    Howard halved with Bratton
    Rankin lost to Harris 1 hole
    G. Wolstenholme beat Woods 1 hole.
    
    Sunday
    ------
    
    Sherry/Gallacher lost to Bratton/Riley 4 @ 2
    Howell/Foster beat Cox/Kuehne 3 @ 2
    Wolstenholme/James lost to Marucci/Courville 6 @ 5
    Harrington/Fanagan beat Harris/Woods 2 @ 1
    
    Sherry beat Riley 2 holes
    Howell beat Begay 2 @ 1
    Gallacher beat Kuehne 3 @ 2
    Fanagan beat Courville 3 @ 2
    Howard halved with Jackson
    Foster halved with Marucci
    Harrington lost to Harris 3 @ 2
    Wolstenholme lost to Woods 4 @ 3.
    
    Fanagan had a 100% record with 3 out of 3, his Irish countryman
    Harrington 3 from 4.
    
    Danny.

                     <<< Note 2040.11 by WSTENG::DSMITH >>>
                          -< 1995 Walker Cup results >-

I was surprised as well. And disappointed. I can't imagine Tiger missing a 
5-foot putt, let alone a 2-footer if the match is on the line.

Everyone's entitled to a slump, I suppose - particularly after such a high. 
Heck, even the Haig lost matches from time to time. Still...sure would've 
loved seeing a better showing.

Not sure why the US played Woods LAST, when his W/L would have the least 
impact. You save the best for last in theater, not competition.

Congratulations to the winners.

    	Don't know how much of a difference it made, but Woods was playing
    somewhat under the weather. On Wednesday night he ate something that
    didn't agree with him, or else it was coming anyways, but he had a
    stomache bug that had him vomiting for a day or two and thus lost a
    lot of sleep. Even thru the weekend it was said that he didn't feel
    good. BUT, he still managed to hit the heck out of the ball...

    
    
    re last
    
     The story in the press in the UK was that Woods is a burger/fries and
    coke man. He attended the official dinner a couple of nights prior to
    the match and had to eat "quality" food which his stomach couldn't
    handle!!!
    
     Although Woods "still managed to hit the heck out of the ball...",
    that may have contributed to his average play. His approach play was
    disappointing, he consistently overshot the green. Maybe once or twice
    he got his distances wrong but it seemed to me he was trying to hit the
    ball as hard as possible, therefore overshooting. Maybe trying to hard
    to impress the spectators.
    
    Danny.

If Tiger bolts from Stanford, blame NCAA

MARK SOLTAU
EXAMINER COLUMNIST

Sun, Oct. 22, 1995

SOMETIMES it just doesn't pay to be a star. If Tiger Woods leaves Stanford
early, it will be the NCAA, not school, that drives him away.

Two weeks ago, the Cardinal sophomore and two-time U.S. Amateur champ drove
to Napa to have dinner with Arnold Palmer during the Transamerica Senior
Golf Championship at Silverado Country Club. Woods, 19, has been friends
with The King for five years.

"The kid was trying to learn knowledge from the legend," Tiger's mother,
Kultida, said from the family home in Cypress, Orange County. "Pick his
brain."

Understandable. Who better to discuss the game with than Palmer, the most
charismatic golfer of all time. Tiger arranged the meeting, and one of the
prime topics of conversation was how to deal with fans.

There was only one problem: Arnie picked up the check. Like he was going to
stick a poor college kid with the tab! Palmer's generosity, though
well-meaning, was deemed a rules violation by the NCAA, which prohibits
athletes from receiving benefits because of their status or reputation.

To be safe, Stanford officials initially reported the dinner to the Pac-10
Conference. David Price, the associate commissioner, didn't see a problem,
but still informed the NCAA.

"It's a gray area," Price said. "Let's check it out."

The NCAA saw it differently. In its view, the free meal violated NCAA
policy and Woods was immediately declared ineligible. However, once the
NCAA did its homework, it agreed to restore Woods' eligibility on one
condition: that he send Palmer a $25 check for dinner.

"I was pretty angry," Woods said. "I didn't do anything wrong."

As it turned out, Woods was ineligible for only two hours, but flew to El
Paso, Texas last Wednesday morning for the Savine College All-American Golf
Tournament, without knowing his status. He found out when he arrived.

"You don't send a kid to a tournament when his mind is not clear," Kultida
said. "It's not fair."

Woods, a first-team All-American and reigning Pac-10 Player of the Year,
had two similar misunderstandings last year. In April, he was declared
ineligible for one day for writing Masters diaries for two weekly golf
magazines, even though he wasn't compensated. A short time later he was
scrutinized again for receiving free tickets to watch dancer and friend
Mikhail Baryshnikov perform in Cupertino.

"It's harassment," Kultida said. "He's trying to stay in school and set a
good example for younger kids. Sometimes there's a limit."

Stanford officials say they are doing all they can to inform and protect
Woods, but can only do so much. For better or worse, the NCAA still makes
the rules.

Some Cardinal athletes have been wearing new T-shirts around campus that
say, "If it's fair and reasonable, it must be an NCAA violation."

Kultida isn't amused.

"As a parent, it's kind of annoying," she said. "I want him to stay (in
school) for four years, but the way they're (the NCAA) treating him is not
right."

Woods, a business major, could leave right now and be set for life with pro
contracts and endorsements. His father, Earl, estimated his worth at $25
million. According to an agent from a well-known management group, it's
more like $10-$12 million, which is still substantial.

"The one thing that makes me mad - Stanford doesn't stand up for him," said
Kultida. "He doesn't have anything to hide."

Cardinal athletic director Ted Leland understands her concerns and planned
to call her last Friday.

"We're disappointed we haven't done a better job communicating with the
family," he said.

Woods is taking 21 units this quarter and genuinely enjoys school. But for
the first time he has hinted he might not stay four years. If he's looking
for an out, the NCAA might provide it.

"He is such a highly visible player," Price said.

"People want to give him benefits. I think he's done a marvelous job of
keeping on top of things."

    
    	Arnie can't buy him dinner? What a joke. There were probably
    10 people at the table and Arnie paid for everyone.
    	Next thing you know the NCAA will decide. That Tiger is not allowed
    to receive Tournament exceptions. So he will not be able to play
    in certain PGA tour events. They will rule that he his getting
    practice buckets of balls for nothing. Access to the buffets in the
    players tents. Access to soft drinks on various tee's. I can see it
    now. Tigers getting ready for the 10th tee. He wants a bottle of Evian
    water or something. He'll be looking for 1.50 so he can pay for it,
    before he tee's off.
    
    Ron

I guess is time to revisit this topic.

Tiger Woods is breezing through this year's US Amateur. He made it in the stroke 
competition as the top medalist, and has won relatively easily his three match 
competitions, one on Wednesday and two yesterday, one of the matches against Bill 
Marucci (sp?) who has been a finalsit in past years.

He is now in the quarter finals and is three matches away from winning.

None before has ever won three US Amateurs in a row.

On a side note, the press is saying he is considering turning pro next year. I 
think he just finished his Sophomore year at Stanford U. Maybe is just media hype, 
but if he wins this weekend, what else does he has to prove? Maybe the only 
thing left is like Michelson, to win a pro tour event as an amateur.

Well, in case you haven't read/heard it yet, he made it. He won a 3rd US Amateur 
in a row.

In the two round final match on Sunday, he was 2 down after 33 holes/3 to go, 
(after being 5 down at one point) and managed to take the next two birdie/birdie, 
to finish all square and go into a play off, which he won on the second hole.

Yesterday's and Monday's Boston Globe had articles on the speculation of him 
turning pro. He is playing on an exemption on this week's PGA tour tournament and 
he may use it to start his pro career, so he'll have to register today or tomorrow 
as such.

The Globe mentions that the head of Nike was seen riding in the cart with his 
father at the US Amateur. They are already courting him for big $$$$ endorsements.

Tavo

    Turned pro.
    
    40 mil. contract from nike over 5 years = 8 mil a year
    
     3 mil. contract from titleist over 3 years = 1 mil a year
    
    that's 9 mil a year over three years, 8 mil a year over the next two 
    years...by then his agents(father?) will have negoiated club contracts
    apparel contracts, appearance fee's etc.
    
    and he hasn't even proved himself as a professional...
    
    only in america...
    
    

I thought the Titleist deal was for balls and clubs, I read yesterday
that a club deal was in the works. So, maybe he will only play
Titlest balls ... and someone elses clubs (more $).

    
    	Don't know the specifics but I guess Tiger was overcome by the
    	heat in Thailand yesterday.  Pulled out of the pro am and the
    	dinner afterwards.
    
    	But what was interesting is the amount of his appearance fee.
    	
    	Only $480,000...
    
    	

From GOLFonline

Woods shoots 70, trails by 4 at Asian Honda Classic

Woods withdraws from pro-am 

BANGNA, Thailand (February 6, 1997) Tiger Woods opened with a  
2-under-par 70 today in the first round of the Asian Honda Classic 
at the Thai Country Club. 

He is four shots behind Lee Petters of the United Arab Emirates, 
who grabbed the lead with a 6-under 66. 

Woods' playing partner, Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand, fired an 
impressive 5-under 67 in today's windy conditions to steal at least 
part of the headlines. 

When asked about his fellow competitor's round, Woods answered, "I 
know a little about the Asian PGA's (Omega) Tour. I know it travels 
a lot about Asia and a lot of good players come out of this tour. 

"Prayad played great. To shoot a five-under-par in that wind today 
was something else and it was nice to see." 

Other notables include American Curtis Strange, who shot a 4-under 
68, and New Zealand's Frank Nobilo, who shot 70. 

Woods has been welcomed by Thailand, his mother's native country, 
with great enthusiasm. His arrival late Tuesday night was 
nationally televised, and the combination of the 95-degree heat and 
a whirlwind of events may have contributed to his withdrawing from 
Wednesday's pro-am on the 13th hole. 

"I feel a little bit better today. I am not so sick as I have been 
feeling but the jetlag is still there," he said. 

"The golf course is in great shape right now. The greens are firm 
and you have to be careful coming in. The golf course is 
beautiful." 

"This tournament is very special to me -- it is in my mother's 
homeland. But I will have to improve on today, it was a bit 
scratchy. I made a lot of physical mistakes and some mental ones. I 
have to tighten the screws a bit." 

Tiger is now ranked 14th in the Sony World Rankings, 7th in Ryder Cup points and
2nd on the money list.  My guess is that he'll be the first to break the $2M
mark in official earnings.

	John

    
    
 
    
Dave Deverell
ricks::deverell (preferred)
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    Well, Tiger showed himself human on Sunday.  He was grinding all day,
    was within one stroke of the lead with two holes to go, and
    double-bogeyed the 17th to tie for fourth.
    
    When is a top-5 finish just awful?  When you're Tiger Woods.
    
    What a burden! :-)

Interesting commentaries by the CBS crowd including Ben Crenshaw.

Most of Tiger's problems were caused by shooting fliers over the green, 
other than the ball he put in the water (15th?). Their comments were that 
due to his increadible club speed, any ball out of any kind of rough (at 
least in the type of grass at Colonial) is a likely to be a flier.

    And the irony of Tiger's 8-iron in the water was that his ball was
    directly on line with the pin and fell less than seven yards short.  He
    had been flying over the greens all day, so it's hard to call his short
    approach a bad shot, but...that's the game Tiger himself said can
    humble you in a heartbeat!
    
    I think Tiger learned more from the Colonial than the Masters, the
    first NOT suited to his game, whereas Augusta plays to his strengths.
    
    He'll be better for the experience, and I suspect he'll be at least as
    motivated to play the Colonial next year as Augusta, albeit for
    different reasons.  He has more to actually prove at the Colonial, I
    think.