A Year in Golf: Tales from the Tour
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p17 2_Layout 1 12/31/14 8:39 PM Page 1 THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015 SPORTS A year in golf: Tales from the Tour CONNECTICUT: Jim Mahoney parted with a tiny piece and his friend walked across the teeing ground. radio, Golf Channel, another radio station, the writers of US Open history with hopes it could change Phil “We’re the only ones there. The marshals gave up,” he and then the PGA Tour’s website. Mickelson’s luck. It was a broken tee in a plastic bag. “A said. “They were the last group to hit. And there’s Phil’s A large crowd behind a gated section began calling Age old problems souvenir that money can’t buy,” Mahoney said in a tele- tee.” Even after it was over, Mahoney’s said his friends out to him as McIlroy walked away, wanting his auto- phone interview from his home in Connecticut. told him he should put the tee on a plaque. Instead, he graph. McIlroy looked at the crowd, then at the club- leave Asian Cup Mahoney brought the tee to the Deutsche Bank stored it in a drawer. He wanted Mickelson to win that house. Championship, along with a letter explaining the cir- day, as did half of New York. He roots for him at every That’s when his caddie, J.P. Fitzpatrick, stepped in. cumstances around it. This was the last tee Mickelson major. “Those kids over there have followed you all day,” he an open race used at Winged Foot in the 2006 U.S. Open. His drive And that’s why he thought it might help to give it told McIlroy. “You need to sign for them.” McIlroy SINGAPORE: The Asian Cup heads to Australia for sailed far to the left on the 18th hole, like so many of his back. Mahoney approached Mickelson’s caddie during reached for the pen in his back pocket, walked over to the first time next month with the scars of a woe- tee shots that Sunday, and caromed off a tent. From the pro-am at the Deutsche Bank Championship in the kids and spent the next 15 minutes with them. ful 2014 World Cup for the continent and the Monday at the PGA Championship was a time to get recurring problems of match-fixing and swift registered, maybe hit a few putts but otherwise take it easy during the busiest stretch of the year. Matt Kuchar sackings leaving the tournament wide open. intended to do just that, and he pulled up a chair at a Holders Japan are favorites to win a record patio table to join Jim “Bones” MacKay, the caddie for extending fifth continental title but dark clouds Phil Mickelson. hang over their coach Javier Aguirre after he MacKay pointed out that Kuchar was sitting in a became embroiled in a Spanish match-fixing case famous chair. OK, it wasn’t the same chair. But it’s where dating back to his time as Real Zaragoza boss. Rocco Mediate was sitting at Valhalla during the 2000 The Mexican has long denied any wrongdoing PGA Championship. Mediate was close to qualifying for but the negative attention has not helped confi- the Presidents Cup that year. The chair broke suddenly dence in Japan, where a mixed start and the and Mediate injured an already tender back. He with- exclusion of form players, like Gamba Osaka for- drew from the final major. He didn’t make the ward Takashi Usami, have raised questions about Presidents Cup team. his suitability. That was before Kuchar joined the PGA Tour. He had The pressure on Aguirre, though, is nothing like never heard the story. Kuchar was running errands that what Ange Postecoglou is under as the hosts wel- afternoon when he was stuck in traffic so long that he come Asia’s biggest tournament for the first time wound up with a sore back. Three days later, he with- since joining the confederation in 2006. drew from the PGA at Valhalla. Beware the chair. Australia, runners up to Japan in 2011, won Jordan Spieth describes her as the girl who keeps the only one match in 2014, a friendly triumph over family grounded, and the funniest member of the Saudi Arabia in September, with defensive lapses Spieth clan. That would be Ellie, his 14-year-old sister in the young side a glaring issue as the coach who was born with neurological challenges. And she struggles to replace a golden generation which was part of the entourage at the Deutsche Bank Championship, watching big brother Jordan on the golf qualified for three consecutive World Cups. course while walking with her other brother, Steven, “Things haven’t been going well prior to this who plays basketball at Brown. She was talking to any- tournament, we have to be brutally honest. We’ve one who would listen about her big brothers and what probably gone a little bit backwards,” former they do. Australia goalkeeper Mark Bosnich told Reuters.. The gallery was held back behind the seventh green Postecoglou was in charge for the predictable while players and their caddies got on carts to take three World Cup defeats in Brazil, where the them to the next tee. Spieth spotted his little sister and Socceroos, Japan, Iran and South Korea all fin- waved her over. Ellie ran to the cart and sat on her big ished bottom of their groups as Asia failed to earn brother’s lap as they drove off. She looked like the hap- a single victory for the first time since 1990. He piest person at TPC Boston. And so did Spieth. British kept his job with the Asian showpiece in mind but humor has no rival in golf. a failure on home soil is sure to spell the end of At the annual caddie awards dinner at the HSBC his tenure. Champions, a slide show presenting the year in golf was on the screen. Bubba Watson won the Masters. Martin MANAGERIAL CHANGES Kaymer won the U.S. Open. Andrew Cotter of the BBC His task is not helped by a tough Group A was the host for the dinner, and according to several including a showdown against South Korea, who caddies in attendance, Cotter mentioned how it wasn’t are now under the guidance of German Uli long before one player took over the world of golf by Stielike, one of 11 coaches appointed by the 16 winning two majors. The dramatic commentary was finalists last year as flagging teams eyed a fresh accompanied by the next photo - Colin Montgomerie. start. On Monday after the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the course was filled with a few corporate part- Bahrain and Jordan have gone through a com- ners and several members of the CBS Sports crew, main- bined six managers since last year, while Saudi ly the staff that never gets attention or publicity for the Arabia and Iraq have loaned coaches from club invaluable work on the broadcast. sides for the Jan. 9-31 tournament in a glaring Jim Nantz treated this Monday like any other. He lives example of the short-sightedness in the region’s not far from the 18th green. His wife, Courtney, was in administrations. “The coach doesn’t have time to impose his WINGED FOOT: This photo taken on Aug. 29, 2014 shows a tee used by golfer Phil Mickelson for his last tee shot at the final months of her pregnancy. Every morning, they style on the team and quite often he will have 2006 US Open golf tournament at Winged Foot. Jim Mahoney, who collected the souvenir tee in 2006, approached take as beautiful of a walk as there is in golf along the Mickelson’s caddie during the pro-am at the Deutsche Bank Championship in September. He simply handed him coast at Pebble Beach to the par-3 seventh green, very little input into selecting the squad,” former an envelope that contained the broken tee and the letter. —AP where they were married. Australia boss Pim Verbeek said of the constant This walk took longer than usual. Each time Nantz chopping and changing. Carlos Queiroz is the there, Lefty made double bogey and finished one shot September. He simply handed him an envelope that passed a group from the CBS crew, they wanted to hear longest serving boss in the tournament but a lack behind. contained the broken tee and the letter. his commentary on their shots. Nantz delivered, as he of adequate warm-up matches leave his defensive The U.S. Open remains the only major keeping him “I will trade the tee for a photo-op,” said the letter, often does. Iran side short of quality action as they seek an from the career Grand Slam. Winged Foot haunts him addressed to Mickelson and Jim “Bones” MacKay. “You Patrick Rodgers of Stanford was honored at the attacking dimension in order to lift a fourth Asian more than his other five runner-up finishes. “I was on can make peace with it and win the Open in 2015. Good Memorial with the Jack Nicklaus Award as college play- Cup. the tee at Winged Foot, me and a friend of mine,” luck.” MacKay was looking for Mahoney after the round er of the year. That included a trip to Muirfield Village While they look forward to a 13th Asian Cup, Mahoney said. “Phil got out his driver and was bouncing for the photo. He never found him. and a presentation hosted by Nicklaus. Palestine are taking part in their first after over- the ball off the face.