Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A Catty Report

Are we getting older or is it just everybody else?

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Recently, Scott and I shared a very surreal experience.  We went on a date together (sort of) since there were three of us, I’m not sure if that counts.   Anyway, it was two girls, one guy.  Just the way it should be.  We went to see Billy Joel (who’s playing on the Champion’s Tour of Rock and Roll) at the Boise State Pavilion.  Fabulous, and he was outstanding.  The energy in the building was electric.  We were on our feet, screaming for more.  WE WERE YOUNG AND STRONG!  On the floor in front of the stage, in the movement of the colored lights and swaying arms we were like one massive body of hot flesh, drunk with song.    In the perfect-ness of the moment and dimness of the room, we didn’t realize we were just back far enough from the stage not to have a close up view of Billy’s baldness, UNTIL he took off his Boise State Bronco cap tossed it to the crowd and left the stage.  Then 10,000 cell phones immediately rose into the air and glowed; passionate screams for an encore performance forced Billy to return to the stage.  He satisfied us and finished with ‘Piano Man’.   It was then we started to realize just how much times had changed.  Cell phones instead of lighters, and not even the hint of weed being smoked in the building, anywhere.  Where were all the rebels?  We all know Billy has a reputation for being a bad boy.  As the lights came up, we had a clear view of the people who surrounded us, the sexy silhouette figure that was dancing to my right in the tiny tank top was in her sixties.  There were more outdated haircuts, (myself included) gray hair and balding heads than I could count.   We all smiled satisfied, and politely began the gesturing process to one another for an orderly exit.  Outside, as we walked arm in arm to the car giggling like 20 year olds.  We thought, if we all felt like times had changed, how must Billy feel when he looks into a sea of adoring fans that are 50 something.  Thirsty and hoarse from screaming, we all wanted a drink, instead of heading downtown to a trendy bar, we opted for the closest mini mart that could offer up a bottle of water and a Big Gulp.        So how does this tie into golf?  Well I’m not sure, but I know that every spring when I tee up over the water for the first time on #10 at the Scotch Pines I always surprise myself and hit a great shot.   My greatness never lasts for very long, before you know it, my hook-slice-whiff-whatever returns.  BUT, for however long it lasts, I feel like Natalie Gulbis.  Sort of.   And that’s the point about Scott.   He never gives up.              
            And he believes in himself to the point that his enthusiasm for golf and life is infectious.  I can’t wait to see what the New Year brings.  I guess the real lesson is we are only as old as we allow ourselves to be.  I hope all of you have a great Holiday Season, eat lots of sweets and enjoy your families. 
 
Love the Catty.


Thursday, November 15, 2007

Players • Tournaments • Stats • Live Scoring • Video TV • My Game • Shop • Fantasy • Wireless • TOUR Business PGA.com STANDINGS PGA TOURChampions TourNationwide Tour Leader: Tiger Woods Position this week: 1 Position last week: 1 Total: $10,867,052 PlayerEventsMoney Tiger Woods16$10,867,052 Phil Mickelson22$5,819,988 Vijay Singh27$4,728,376 Steve Stricker23$4,663,077 K.J. Choi25$4,587,859 Complete Money Leaders Leader: Loren Roberts Position this week: 1 Position last week: 1 Total: 2,716 PlayerEventsPoints Loren Roberts232,716 Jay Haas272,551 Denis Watson252,177 Brad Bryant242,167 Tom Watson122,032 Complete Charles Schwab Cup Points Leader: Richard Johnson Position this week: 1 Position last week: 1 Total: $445,421 PlayerEventsMoney Richard Johnson25$445,421 Roland Thatcher28$415,124 Nick Flanagan17$369,951 Jon Mills27$366,244 Jason Day19$331,542 Complete Money Leaders QUALIFYING INFORMATION The 2008 Event Qualifying schedule and procedures will be available shortly. Registration has ended for q-school in 2007 but check back for results from the Final Stage. To view the 2008 Champions Tour tournament schedule, click here. E-MAIL: HAVE A QUESTION? Submit your question here and it could get answered during GOLF CHANNEL's broadcast - plus we will post the video response on PGATOUR.com! After 54 holes, (l to r) Rick Rhoden, Jack Ferenz and Scott Masingill are tied at 6-under par. (WireImage) Trio tied after third round Jack Ferenz, Rick Rhoden and Scott Masingill hold a share of the lead after round three of the Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament. There's just one round left at TPC Eagle Trace where, on Friday, 30 guys will move closer to the Tour. Story Round 4: Tee Times | Rhoden leads after 36 holes | Q-School: Leaderboard | Full Coverage The year in review PGATOUR.com's Lauren Deason, reviews the '07 Champions Tour, where veterans took the spotlight. Story Loren Roberts gets redemption in finale Nicklaus: Every golfer's goal Jack Nicklaus was honored Monday at the World Golf Hall of Fame with an exhibit about his life. Story Strange, Green headline '07 HOF class NEWS COLUMNS & BLOGS MOST POPULAR • Thorpe wins Charles Schwab Cup Championship, again | Results • Thorpe knows how to have fun, shares lead after first round • Thorpe and Romero share first-round lead in Sonoma • Redemption In Sonoma? | Haas looking to repeat as Schwab champ • Having To Leave Home | Related: Mickelsons forced to evacuate • Maginnes: It's Good To Be Fred Funk | Player Page: Learn More About Fred • Player Blog: Sticking to strategy pays off for Beck • Player Blog: Despite second round, Beck says he's still in it • Player Blog: The Ocean Course is a tough test, says Beck • Player Blog: Beck loves the way the greens are rolling at Kiawah • Player Blog: Chip Beck has many memories from the '91 Ryder Cup • Q-School: Stage 2 scores • Choi charges to first-round lead in Hong Kong • Sorenstam has one last chance for a victory • Buoyed by ace, Rhoden takes lead in Champions Tour National Qualifying • Weir aiming for winning debut in Hong Kong News to You: Newsletter | Wireless | Podcasts | RSS More News TOUR Info PHOTO OF THE DAY Charles Schwab Cup Championship Jim Thorpe (L) and Loren Roberts (R) with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship Cup and the Charles Schwab Cup after the fourth and final round of the Charles Schwab Championship Cup. (Feldman/WireImage) • More photo galleries

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Cameron Morfit blasted out of the sand on the 12th hole at Augusta National. Yes, he's played the ultimate course, but he's not a pro yet. Related articles Video: Mr. 6 to Scratch gets a lesson Blog: Can Morfit make it to scratch? Read the rest of the series Lesson Finder: Tips and videos to fix any problem More instruction articles From 6 to Scratch: Still Fighting the Lefts By Cameron Morfit Senior Writer, GOLF Magazine Published: November 11, 2007 Print this Page E-mail Article This is part of a regular series that will chronicle Cameron Morfit's attempt to erase his handicap. If you have questions or comments for Cameron, send them to golfletters@golf.com. BOISE, Idaho — I played 18 with the reigning Idaho Open champion, Scott Masingill, the other day, and he shot the easiest looking 69 you'll ever see. I fired a smooth 84 with two birdies, an opening double-bogey and a whole lotta bogeys. The crazy thing is I drove it great. (If you're ever in Payette, Idaho, play Scotch Pines. Masingill and his dad built pretty much the whole 18.) In my quest to go from a 6 handicap to a scratch I can see glimpses of the player I could become. Thanks to new clubs, a personal trainer and a handful of lessons, I hit more good shots, make more birdies and even card an eagle every so often. I hit it longer, thanks to my new driver and maybe the fact that I've lost 15 pounds of fat and gained 9 of muscle. Alas, I still suffer from the Big Miss. This is the result of a stronger left-hand grip, which continues to lead to the occasional wild hook and, just as damning, the premonition that one is on its way. (Which of course leads to a block-push out to the right.) The other issue is my short game. I couldn't putt worth a damn the other day, and I get the feeling my stroke is way off. I can see the line but I can't seem to hit it there. My chipping, usually one of my strengths, isn't so hot, either. Basically I'm not playing enough golf. It's getting almost too cold to play here in Boise, as it is in most places in the United States, but that's a lame excuse. Masingill can putt. Boy can he putt. He expects to make them from 30 feet, and when he doesn't he's usually close. Then again, he's won the Idaho Amateur about 10 times. He shot 59 to win the Idaho Open this year, and he's in Florida for the second stage of Champions tour Q-school this week. As a collegian at Oregon State he played against such PGA Tour luminaries as Craig Stadler (USC), Tom Watson (Stanford) and Peter Jacobsen (Oregon). Even in those days Jacobsen was a world-class mimic, and Masingill recalled a tournament in which they were paired together. Both shot a pedestrian 73 in the first round, so they were paired again for round two. That's when Jacobsen decided to channel Arnold Palmer. The big, bold swing with the whirlybird finish, the hitching up of the pants — Jacobsen embodied every Arnie tick for all 18 holes. And he shot 68. Masingill shot another 73. "That's when I realized," Scott said, "This guy might be better than I am." After my craziest miss of the day, a 9-iron from the fairway that soared 20 yards left of the green (which had a right pin), I asked Scott to intervene. He said misses like that were often caused by a failure to shift one's weight onto the left side, and that I ought to visualize hitting a cut. This led to some of my best shots of the day, including a drive that nipped his own solid strike by a yard or two. I'm encouraged. I want to play more golf, and for the sake of my game, I need to. Read the rest of the series.

Cameron Morfit Blot

<DIV class=byline _extended="true"> <DIV class=credit _extended="true">
<P _extended="true">Cameron Morfit blasted out of the sand on the 12th hole at Augusta National. Yes, he's played the ultimate course, but he's not a pro yet.

<DIV class="widget related-articles " _extended="true"> <H3 _extended="true">Related articles <UL _extended="true"> <LI _extended="true"><A href="javascript:showCenteredPopup('newWin','/golf/video/article/0,28224,1666580,00.html','resizable=yes,scrollbars=no,toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,screenX=0,screenY=0,directories=no,status=no','490','540');" _extended="true"><STRONG _extended="true">Video: Mr. 6 to Scratch gets a lesson <LI _extended="true"><A href="http://blogs.golf.com/golfcom/2007/08/6-to-scratch.html" _extended="true"><STRONG _extended="true">Blog: Can Morfit make it to scratch? <LI _extended="true"><A href="http://www.golf.com/golf/search/results/1,28208,,00.html?squery=6+to+scratch&archive=&x=0&y=0" _extended="true"><STRONG _extended="true">Read the rest of the series <LI _extended="true"><A href="http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction/lessonfinder/0,28423,,00.html" _extended="true">Lesson Finder: Tips and videos to fix any problem<A class=more title="More instruction articles" href="http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction" _extended="true">More instruction articles
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript _extended="true"> tiiQuigoWriteAd(777767, 1293394, 299, 175, -1); </SCRIPT> <FORM id=qas_frm name=qas_frm action="" method=get target="" _extended="true"><INPUT type=hidden name=ie52_mac_only _extended="true"><IFRAME id=adsonar_serve580448 name=adsonar_serve580448 marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://ads.tw.adsonar.com/adserving/getAds.jsp?previousPlacementIds=&placementId=1293394&pid=777767&ps=-1&zw=299&zh=175&url=http%3A//www.golf.com/golf/instruction/article/0%2C28136%2C1682793%2C00.html&v=5" frameBorder=0 width=299 scrolling=no height=175 _extended="true"><A name=main _extended="true"> <DIV class=article-header _extended="true"> <H1 _extended="true">From 6 to Scratch: Still Fighting the Lefts <P class=subhead _extended="true">

<SPAN class=byline _extended="true">By <SPAN class=byline_name _extended="true"><A title="Cameron Morfit" href="http://www.golf.com/golf/writer_repository?scontrib=Cameron+Morfit&column=contributor" _extended="true">Cameron Morfit<BR _extended="true">Senior Writer, GOLF Magazine<BR _extended="true"><SPAN class=timestamp _extended="true">Published: November 11, 2007<BR _extended="true"><BR _extended="true">
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<P _extended="true"><EM _extended="true">This is part of a <A href="http://www.golf.com/golf/search/results/1,28208,,00.html?squery=6+to+scratch&archive=&x=0&y=0" _extended="true">regular series that will chronicle <A href="http://www.golf.com/golf/writer_repository/1,28280,,00.html?scontrib=Cameron+Morfit&column=contributor" _extended="true">Cameron Morfit's attempt to erase his handicap. If you have questions or comments for Cameron, send them to <A href="mailto:golfletters@golf.com?subject=6toScratch" _extended="true">golfletters@golf.com.

<P _extended="true">

<P _extended="true">BOISE, Idaho — I played 18 with the reigning Idaho Open champion, Scott Masingill, the other day, and he shot the easiest looking 69 you'll ever see. I fired a smooth 84 with two birdies, an opening double-bogey and a whole lotta bogeys.

<P _extended="true">The crazy thing is I drove it great. (If you're ever in Payette, Idaho, play <STRONG _extended="true"><A href="http://www.golf.com/golf/courses_travel/coursefinder/course/0,28290,1289188,00.html" _extended="true">Scotch Pines. Masingill and his dad built pretty much the whole 18.)

<P _extended="true">In my quest to go from a 6 handicap to a scratch I can see glimpses of the player I could become. Thanks to <A href="http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction/article/0,28136,1656824,00.html" _extended="true">new clubs, a personal trainer and a handful of lessons, I hit more good shots, make more birdies and even card an eagle every so often. I hit it longer, thanks to <A href="http://www.golf.com/golf/equipment/finder/gear/0,28426,1584216,00.html" _extended="true">my new driver and maybe the fact that I've lost 15 pounds of fat and gained 9 of muscle.

<P _extended="true">Alas, I still suffer from the Big Miss. This is the result of a stronger left-hand grip, which continues to lead to the occasional wild hook and, just as damning, the premonition that one is on its way. (Which of course leads to a block-push out to the right.)

<P _extended="true">The other issue is my short game. I couldn't putt worth a damn the other day, and I get the feeling my stroke is way off. I can see the line but I can't seem to hit it there. My chipping, usually one of my strengths, isn't so hot, either.

<P _extended="true">Basically I'm not playing enough golf. It's getting almost too cold to play here in Boise, as it is in most places in the United States, but that's a lame excuse. Masingill can putt. Boy can he putt. He expects to make them from 30 feet, and when he doesn't he's usually close.

<P _extended="true">Then again, he's won the Idaho Amateur about 10 times. He shot 59 to win the Idaho Open this year, and he's in Florida for the second stage of <A href="http://www.pgatour.com/qschool/" target=new _extended="true">Champions tour Q-school this week.

<P _extended="true">As a collegian at Oregon State he played against such PGA Tour luminaries as Craig Stadler (USC), Tom Watson (Stanford) and Peter Jacobsen (Oregon).

<P _extended="true">Even in those days Jacobsen was a world-class mimic, and Masingill recalled a tournament in which they were paired together. Both shot a pedestrian 73 in the first round, so they were paired again for round two. That's when Jacobsen decided to channel Arnold Palmer.

<P _extended="true">The big, bold swing with the whirlybird finish, the hitching up of the pants — Jacobsen embodied every Arnie tick for all 18 holes.

<P _extended="true">And he shot 68. Masingill shot another 73.

<P _extended="true">"That's when I realized," Scott said, "This guy might be better than I am."

<P _extended="true">After my craziest miss of the day, a 9-iron from the fairway that soared 20 yards left of the green (which had a right pin), I asked Scott to intervene. He said misses like that were often caused by a failure to shift one's weight onto the left side, and that I ought to visualize hitting a cut. This led to some of my best shots of the day, including a drive that nipped hisown solid strike by a yard or two.

<P _extended="true">I'm encouraged. I want to play more golf, and for the sake of my game, I need to.

<P _extended="true"><STRONG _extended="true"><A href="http://www.golf.com/golf/search/results/1,28208,,00.html?squery=6+to+scratch&archive=&x=0&y=0" _extended="true">Read the rest of the series.

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Monday, November 5, 2007

Full Column by Hal Quinn

 


While watching the pros on TV or in person there isn’t a golfer alive who hasn’t thought, however briefly or misguidedly; “Hey, I could do that.”

This phenomenon dramatically climbed the demographic scale when the Seniors Tour came along in 1980, swinging open the gate to a field of dreams for an aging population. And right up until last year, what is now called the Champions Tour was the shimmering Holy Grail for boomers armed with titanium-tipped lances, and the time and the resources to take a quixotic tilt at Q-School.

That was then, back when insurance salesmen and club pros and lottery winners could take a run at getting a card and walking the fairways with Jack and Tom and Hale, maybe even saying, “ Nice shot” the odd time and perhaps cashing an oversized cheque every once in a while.

Why not? You sure as heck couldn’t do it in football, or basketball, or hockey, or tennis, even NASCAR, but you could do it in golf. How incredibly cool. But, as we know, that was then.

The dream was still alive way back in November 2005 when Payette, Idaho’s own Quixote of Q-School Scott Masingill teed it up in Beaumont, Calif. Five days later, he and six other dreamers changed everything.

The Q-School for the older set wasn’t necessary when the Tour started. It was just four events, yesterday’s heroes slapping it around short courses like aging rock stars lip-synching golden oldies. The total for 1980 was $475,000 (all figures US). The first class was held in 1985 and in all the years since, the winners have been golf’s “Say Who?” guys except for Bob Gilder in 2000, Howard Twitty in 2001 and Mark McNulty in 2003. The rest have been household names only in their own domiciles.

And so it was in 2005. But this time, all of the top-seven guys earning their cards for 2006 weren’t PGA Tour guys. Massy Kuramoto won it, Kirk Hanefield was second, Naomichi Ozaki third, and in a three-way tie for fourth spot was Masingill who pocketed a smooth $14,166.67.

In 2006 Masingill, plagued by a neck injury, played in 17 events winning a little over $59,000 – enough to about break even, but not enough to keep his card.

When the ’06 season ended, the Q-School rules were changed. In the Q-School of fall 2006, the top-seven guys didn’t get cards. There were (and it’s the same today) no cards to play for, to dream about. Starting then, the top seven got the right to play for two available spots in the Monday qualifiers. That’s it. The next two guys got the right to play in the Thursday qualifiers for the Monday qualifiers. “They took the seven spots from the Q School and moved those into a weekly qualifier and combined them with the two traditional Monday qualifier spots,” Masingill explained. “To play in the qualifiers, you have to be in the top seven from Q-School, have made 100 PGA Tour cuts or be in the top 75 on the previous year’s money list. If not, you play Thursday to try to qualify for the qualifier.” So much for the “I could do that” crowd, and even guys that have proven they can play some, like Dave Barr and Ray Stewart.

“So in essence, if you don’t meet the [Monday qualifier] criteria, you’d have to travel on Tuesday or Wednesday to practice and play Thursday and sit around until Monday to see if you get into a tournament that runs that Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” Masingill continued. “I’m telling you what. You would be a total crazy if you did that very often. That would drive you completely nuts, and I’m close enough already.”

Masingill has his theory on why the changes were made.

“Here’s my take on it. The PGA Tour brand, the Champions Tour brand, the Nationwide Tour brand, those three brands are owned by the PGA Tour retirement fund.

“So, here you have the Champions Tour, owned by the PGA Tour retirement fund and you’ve got guys like Scott Masingill and Massy Kuramoto and Kirk Hanefield, who’s a PGA pro from Boston, people who are not in the PGA Tour retirement fund getting full-time spots on a tour owned by that fund. “So the owners of the ‘business’ don’t get to play on their own Tour. They won’t tell you that. The PGA Tour will say; ‘We’re trying to find the best players and blah, blah, blah.’

“Well, what they’re trying to do is make it impossible for the European Tour players to come over and get a spot on the Champions Tour. They are trying to make it impossible for PGA members to go out and get a full-timespot on the Champions Tour. And they’re trying to make it impossible for people like me who turned professional when they were 50, who are in other businesses, to come out and earn a spot on the Champions Tour.”
Until last year, that was all possible.

“I believe they looked at the class that I was in,” Masingill further explained, “and saw two Japanese guys from the European Tour, two guys who were PGA members, a guy from England from the European Tour, and Scott Masingill—whoever the hell he is—and they got the full time spots. Not one PGA Tour veteran got one of the spots.

“They thought if this guy Masingill from Idaho can get a spot, this thing can’t be right! So we need to change it.”
Despite all evidence that he has gathered himself, the guy from Idaho is heading back to the first stage of Q- School at the end of October. He knows he can’t run around chasing Monday qualifiers full time, and will have to keep working as a salesmen for a large trucking company as he has for the past 25 years. But the record nine-time Idaho Amateur champ, U.S. Open qualifier in 1981, and two-time All American who shot a 59 this year on his 56th birthday, isn’t finished tilting at windmills.

“I’m going back,” he said without hesitation, “because I still think I’m good enough to go out there and qualify for a tournament and compete.”

Any golfer watching Masingill nail it with his new ‘stack and tilt’ swing would have to think; “Hey, he could do that,” and wish him luck in living his dream.
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