Home > Furman Bisher > Archives > 2008 > June > 10 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USLoyalty just another unplayable lie in golf
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shanks for the memories, with apology to Bob Hope, a man who knew well such errant shots. And to Tim Finchem, who dumped the last shovel of dirt on the grave of the old Atlanta/Georgia-Pacific/BellSouth/AT&T Golf Classic. Sneer, if you choose, but in the city that’s the South’s capital of the game, where the PGA Tour has chosen to play the annual climactic event of its season, there can be no room for a tournament that has thrived and played a major charitable hand in this region for more than 40 years?
Have they forgotten? This is where the Tour came to inaugurate its Tournament Players Championship (1974; Jack Nicklaus won it). This is where it came to play its Tour Championship, now expanded into the FedEx Cup finale, though it does seem the Cup isn’t having an easy time replacing earnings as the popular thermometer of the Tour. With the write-off of the AT&T Classic, can the departure of the Tour Championship be far behind? At such a time of the year, it is still trying to find a comfort zone between the closing baseball races and the kickoff of college and NFL seasons.
The Classic politely stood aside for the Players, then again for the U.S. Open, played at Atlanta Athletic Club in 1976, then obediently moved from Atlanta Country Club to TPC Sugarloaf in 1997. No question, they were running out of parking space in the Cobb County location. Nonetheless, it was Sugarloaf or nothing, for Finchem was mending fences with Greg Norman, who’d sowed the first seed of a series of world championships, and was shot down before he could get organized. Norman got the design contract for Sugarloaf and the plump fee that went with it. After the friendly ACC, Sugarloaf was one tough course to play, and for spectators to walk, and parking was no more convenient than at the original home course. And Norman is no fan of the course with his name stamped on it, he has said when he’s asked.
But the commissioner is in an autocratic situation, and what he is doing is rearranging some of the tour furniture. He has unloaded The International, unique in its Stableford scoring system, and replaced it with the AT&T National in Washington, Tiger Woods hosting. (Could you blame him?) Now with the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach and AT&T Classic, the phone company had a full house. You-know-who had to give. Tiger never really pitched in at Sugarloaf with any great effort. He played the BellSouth there once, won it and never came back. Bad timing, the week before the Masters, bad grass, bad weather and all that irritates a tour player. Happens nearly everywhere, to every tournament, but this was one with an “X” across its chest.
So, shanks for the memories. It began without a parent, just Atlanta Classic, until Georgia-Pacific pitched in. It did develop some international flavor to go with its Australian designer. A New Zealander, Bob Charles, won the first one and a check for $23,000, which would have placed him about 40th this year. A Japanese golfer, Ryuji Imada, won the last and just under a million bucks. A rather astonished Paul Stankowski, who had won on the Nationwide Tour the week before, was the last champion at ACC, in a playoff, and suddenly realizing that he’d just won a place in the Masters asked in his muddled state, “How do you get to Augusta?”
Another Nicklaus had his moment among the gods at Sugarloaf. In a weekend of wretched weather, Gary, No. 3 son, played his way into a tie with Phil Mickelson in 2000. The playoff lasted one hole. On Monday morning, Nicklaus found a bunker, Mickelson found the green, won the hole and the championship. Gary never even came close again, anywhere.
So the inevitable has come to pass. The game moves forward in another direction. The Seniors (Champions) have been here before and moved on. Should this amalgamation come off, hopefully their stay won’t be cut short this time.
Comments
By bull-gator
June 11, 2008 7:53 AM | Link to this
Finchem is a money grubbing sorry excuse for a commissioner. I don’t know who is worse, that a* clown that runs major league baseball or this a* clown. As a matter of fact Stern of the NBA is nothing but an ostrich (see referee scandals) and Goodell is a slick suited cover up artist (see Patriots). As a matter of fact they’re all pretty much worthless…
By Jeff
June 11, 2008 8:03 AM | Link to this
It surely was never the same after leaving Atlanta Country Club. I went to see the tourney at Sugarloaf only once and vowed to never go back. It was very difficult on the spectator. I always heard that the members of ACC were happy to see it leave and I wonder how the members of Sugarloaf feel now. But it’s a shame for Atlanta to lose this event and it could be the PGA and it’s high-handed ways that should get the blame.
By Harv
June 11, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this
Name of the game is Rolling Money. Don’t get in the way
By Jim Goodwin
June 11, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
Like Jeff before me, I am a big time golf fan but I also went once and never again to Sugarloaf. Everything about the tournament was bad for the average fan. No parking, bad bus transportation, terrable course to walk because it was designed for a housing sub division, and everything else you could think of to make the average fan mad. And now they want to bring a senior event there, just DUMB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Dave Coley
June 12, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this
Over the years I attended numerous Classics at ACC and always had a great time. It was a fun course and the pros seemed to always be enjoying themselves. Never attended Sugarloaf as friends, after attending, described the experience as miserable! Tim Finchem seems to be trying to destroy all old traditions on the tour and cater strictly to Tiger and Corporate interest. Also, he seems to be so jealous of ‘The Masters’ he has even renamed the TPC….’The Players’. What a joke! (and I attend that tournament every year) Atlanta has a rich and wonderful heritage in the game and should always have a ‘Classic’. Here is hoping Finchem’s reign is over quickly and a new commissioner will be much better!
By Paddy
June 12, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Went twice to the tourny at Sugarloaf. Don’t ask me why I went back the 2nd time. No good reason. It was just as bad an experience as the first. Do think Atl deserves another shot at a regular PGA event. Why not one of those fat oil companies stepping up with a sponsorship. Give everyone a $10.00 coupon for gas.I could use 2 gallons of gas about now.
By "Furman" Paladin
June 12, 2008 6:33 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the “memories” column Furman. Most ACC members wish it had never left and so do most tour players. To assure success to a new champion’s tour event in Atlanta, it should be played at Atlanta Country Club as most all champion’s tour members loved the regular tour event there and supported it well. If they are stuck with Sugarloaf, and its un-user friendly layout, they may play it once (for the $) but won’t be back.
By Furman Bisher
June 13, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this
Can someone help me change my colostome bag? I’m so old I can’t even find my bedpan!
By Dawg Fan in Fla
June 14, 2008 2:33 AM | Link to this
I tghink Harv had it right. The name of the game is now “Rolling Money.”
By Mister Barlei
June 15, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this
Furman, you forgot to include the Sarazen World Open, a great fan friendly tournament, which the PGATour crushed when it was just starting to gain some momentum. It has come to pass that the G in PGA stands for GREED.
By FreeMikeVick
June 15, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this
Uhhhh…..That playoff between Mickleson and Nicklaus was on SUNDAY, not Monday as Bisher stated. You’ve been around long enough to know, do your homework before you publish something……Senility is hell…..
By JessOutlar
June 16, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this
Good riddance. There was never anything special about the Classic/GaPacific/ACC/Sugarloaf tournament. Let those places where it means something — Davenport, Hattiesburg — host the tournaments.
By Karl Bankert
June 16, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this
“…in a city that’s the South’s capital of the game…”. What ? Once, maybe. It’s all about the money. Period.
By Craig Spinks /Augusta
June 18, 2008 12:40 AM | Link to this
Finchem probably orders extra hash to cover his Grantland Rice during his yearly trip to Sconyer’s, Augusta’s internationally-famed BBQ restaurant and favorite stop for Masters visitors.
By PMC
June 19, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this
Nice Article Mr. Bisher. After attending tournaments in Augusta… Sugarloaf is a tough course to love, it’s not pleasing to the eye, not fun to play impossible to walk or follow much golf at all… all in all even with the significant efforts they make to help people enjoy tour events there… it just rings hollow.