AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > May > 19 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USMay dates hurt tournament
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Say what you will, you can’t beat the weather. Dazzling sunshine, cloudless sky, soothing warmth. No sweat. Hard, firm fairways, and what adorable grass.
Take a couple of years ago. Heavy rains. Severe thunderstorms. Frozen precipitation (translated: snow). Wind chill low 30s. They finally played the third (and last) round on Monday. That delayed Phil Mickelson’s arrival at the Masters by a day, but it didn’t put any dents in his game.
They gave it a new name, taking the vows with AT&T, new dates, sort of between the thunderstorm seasons. Build some good weather and they would come. Great idea, but what has happened is that the New AT&T has been caught in a vacuum. Once, it was the entree to the Masters. Last stop, the launching point, which meant even more back when PGA Tour winners won a pass to Augusta. Now, rejoice, that rule has been restored and Sugarloaf has been squeezed in between The Players and, first, the Colonial, to be followed by Nicklaus’ Memorial, and the road to the Masters now looks like a long, dark tunnel with a flickering light at the end.
It also has served to take the AT&T Classic out of international scrutiny. The press room once was peopled by overseas dialects, English, Irish, French, and a mixture of American. They came because they got three for the price of one expense account. First, The Players Championship. Then on to Gwinnett County for the exciting climax at Sugarloaf, and at the end of the ritual, the Masters.
Sugarloaf was the perfect prelude. Its place in the mix was dramatic, no matter what the weather; the Masters was always the pot at the end of the rainbow.
This tournament lost something. So did The Players, once Tim Finchem finally got it out of the shadow of the Masters. Now, nobody could sneer that the guys came to Sawgrass to freshen their game for Augusta.
So, the double switch was made. The Players moved to May, the AT&T followed, and you could feel the warm, cooing breath of the tournament sponsors in the air. But where were the stars?
Well, there were several in the field. Four U.S. Open champions, Lee Janzen, Raymond Floyd, Larry Nelson and Steve Jones. This was their kind of tournament, they were invited, and they came. Only Janzen made the cut and made like a threat.
Then there was a handful of PGA Championship winners on hand, Steve Elkington, Shaun Micheel, Bob Tway, David Toms, Floyd and Nelson again, and Paul Azinger, doubling as the Ryder Cup captain.
Looking good on paper. Nice for the prestige. Sorry, but they don’t sell tickets. Oh, to have had Mickelson back again, defending his title. This place was his feasting ground. Lefty has played here nine times and won three, the least spectacular of which was the year of his one-hole playoff against Gary Nicklaus.
This may not sit well with the homefolks, but you can’t get away from harsh fact. You have your choice: Lovely weather and a modest field, or chancy weather and setting the stage for the Masters. They went together like Smith and Wesson, Crosby and Hope. Not that the tournament sponsors didn’t have a choice. It may have been May or forget it. On the other hand, as Dave Kaplan said, “We were happy to get any date that could bring us weather like this.”
OK, OK, but looking around the press room, not only is the international corps depleted, even the national press has been watered down to the representation of one: Sports Illustrated.
I will check out with this upbeat note, that there is no more exciting finishing hole on the tour than Sugarloaf’s 18th, a long, sweeping downhill plunge 576 yards to a green guarded by a lake given to gobbling up golf balls.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Furman Bisher
Comments
By Correct Sir
May 19, 2007 11:09 PM | Link to this
I agree with your synopsis. For starters, The Players didn’t have the “feel” of the 5th major this year. In it’s old position, it served as the official start to the golf season and a prelude to The Masters. Now it seems like just another tournament on the Florida swing.
The AT&T here in Atlanta has suffered as well. I was out there on Thursday and it felt like a Nationwide Tour event. I enjoyed the golf but some girls in bikinis off the 17th fairway got more attention than the players. Let’s call it what it is: a 5th tier tournament.
On another note, is it just me or has The Golf Channel butchered the coverage of PGA events on Thursdays & Fridays? Kelly Tighlman and Nick Faldo operate like morning talk show hosts- i.e Regis & Kelly. I just get the impression that whatever they are doing is not important. I can only hope that The Golf Channel NEVER picks up coverage of the beloved Majors. That could singlehandedly ruin golf for me.
By Leroy Rogers
May 19, 2007 11:20 PM | Link to this
My comments re: the AT& T is: the purses are way too big. Check out NASCAR as an example. Overhead, etc. There is nothing but travel and time the golfers are out. There are way too many 1million, plus winners now and it isn’t even June! Ryder Cup…good example of spoiled American multi-millionaires. Just my humble opinion.
By Leroy Rogers
May 19, 2007 11:20 PM | Link to this
My comments re: the AT& T is: the purses are way too big. Check out NASCAR as an example. Overhead, etc. There is nothing but travel and time the golfers are out. There are way too many 1million, plus winners now and it isn’t even June! Ryder Cup…good example of spoiled American multi-millionaires. Just my humble opinion.
By Leroy Rogers
May 19, 2007 11:20 PM | Link to this
My comments re: the AT& T is: the purses are way too big. Check out NASCAR as an example. Overhead, etc. There is nothing but travel and time the golfers are out. There are way too many 1million, plus winners now and it isn’t even June! Ryder Cup…good example of spoiled American multi-millionaires. Just my humble opinion.
By Tom
May 20, 2007 12:30 AM | Link to this
But remember that local guy Franklin Langham is having a great tournament. Struggling on the Nationwide Tour he is in 14th place on an exemption.
Great stories lurk in the ATT if you look hard enough.
By Atlanta Country Club
May 20, 2007 9:56 AM | Link to this
Furman- This tournament has never been the same since it left Atlanta Country Club(ACC). It used to be an exciting gathering in a rather intimate environment that was always well attended. When the PGA Tour moved it to Sugarloaf(because they don’t pay fees at TPC courses) the entire complexion changed. First, Sugarloaf is massive and a terrible spectator course. The hills are brutal and the walks between holes can be long. In addition, you can’t traverse from the front nine to the back nine. You simply have to pick a direction and commit to it. ACC was different in that you could cross a road and be on the opposite nine. Second, Sugarloaf looks like a bunch of huge homes with a golf course running through it. ACC runs through a neighborhood as well but many of the houses are hidden in the trees. Finally, the environment at Sugarloaf is sterile compared to when it was at ACC. At ACC, it felt more like the Kentucky Derby and many people threw parties around it.
Forget the date, moving the tournament to Sugarloaf has been the biggest mistake the tour made. It will never be a huge success there.
By bill
May 20, 2007 9:56 AM | Link to this
Here’s hoping for at least a top 10 from Franklin Langham, exemption to the next PGA event, and no looking back to the Nationwide…what a great story that would be.
By Brant
May 20, 2007 12:05 PM | Link to this
Bill, You are right on the money! I went out there 10 years ago for the first round and it just isn’t fan friendly. I remember the 14th par 3 at ACC and #18 par 5 of just being awesome holes to view.
By BOB
May 20, 2007 2:18 PM | Link to this
ONE THING YOU AND THE PROMOTERS FAILED
TO MENTION WAS THAT THIS YEARS WINNER
OF THE MASTERS WOULD BE PLAYING IN THE
TOURNAMENT.MAYBE SOME FANS WOULD HAVE
COME OUT TO SEE HIM. WHAT WAS HIS
NAME BY THE WAY?????????