I was hoping that Erazem Lorbek, who I've seened described as a bruising physical player who can also hit a 3, would be playing for the Spurs next season as much needed beef up front. Figured, if the Spurs asked that his rights be included in the Hill trade, perhaps it was because they thought he would sign with them. But no. Not this year. A Barcelona sports website said yesterday that Lorbek has re-upped with his Barcelona team for one more year, so he'll be playing overseas again this coming season. Blame it on the lockout threat, I suppose. If I was a Euro player, I wouldn't come over this year either. (Sorry no link, I forgot to copy the URL -- but it was just a 2-paragraph "article" that said only that Lorbek is staying in Spain at least one more year.)

Since the Express-News isn't helping us out with any info about Davis Bertans, I decided to check Latvian newspapers. Found a lengthy article in one:

http://zinas.nra.lv/sports/basketbols/50314-davis-bertans-nokluvu-komanda-kura-gribeju-but.htm

I've plugged it into various translators with medium success. Apparently, it's not easy for Web bots to translate Latvian to English. However, Google Translator did translate Bertans' position as "random attacker," which I think should be adopted by all as the new term for "scorer." "That Nowitzki, he is one hell of a random attacker."

Anyway, a few things I'm able to glean from bad translations of this article:

Bertans was "shocked" when he wasn't chosen by the Spurs with the 29th pick, but then thought, first or second round doesn't matter. He's just happy he was chosen by the Spurs.

He and his agent were seeking a promise from the Spurs (or other teams) to take him in the first round. No promise was given, but he decided to stay in the draft anyway, hoping to be chosen by the Spurs.

The draft started at 2:35 a.m. in Latvia, Davis and his brother stayed up all night watching.

Latvian national team (or junior team) coach says Spurs are great fit for Bertans because of their established willingness to wait for a player and their experience with international players.

That's about all I'm able to get out of it. Nothing too revealing, but good to know our future random attacker is happy to be in the Spurs pipeline.

This sounds encouraging. Leonard was featured in an ESPN Sports Science segment. It talks about his freakish arm/hand measurements. But more interesting to Spurs fans will be the info about the work he's already been doing on improving his shot. The clip goes into specifically how Leonard has been improving his shooting mechanics, and why he's working on those elements of the shooting stroke. I'm sad to see George Hill go, but I love this pick -- and I think Bertans is going to be a real find, too. In three years, if Leonard really does become a good shooter, I can see Bertans at the 3 and Leonard at the 2.

So RC Buford says the Spurs are looking at trade possibilities, and various reports say the 76ers are listening to offers for Andre Iguodola. Please, RC, make that call!

Iguodola is the perfect Spur - tough, disciplined, can hit the 3 but doesn't need to score, lockdown defender, great rebounder for his size, excellent passer. He would bring back defensive intensity to the 3 position.

Do the Spurs have what it takes to get him? Let's find out - call the Sixers and see what they offer. Due to salaries, the Sixers would have to be willing to take RJ - but RJ thrived in the East and might look better to the Sixers than he does to the Spurs. One rumor has the Sixers looking at Monta Ellis in exchange for Iguodola, so obviously they want scoring. So RJ and Gary Neal. Throw in McDyess' expiring contract to even out salaries. Offer to exchange our 1st-round draft pick for the Sixers' 2nd-rounder (assuming they have a 2nd-rounder) or throw in Matt Bonner.

Losing Neal would not be ideal, but James Anderson is a better all-around player. I don't want to just give Bonner away, but there's always Steve Novak, and if giving Bonner away is icing that helps net Iguodola, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Andre Iguodola would look outstanding in silver & black. Make the call to Philly, RC, and see if there's any chance.

Need proof that the PGA Tour is committed to making TPC San Antonio a showcase facility? Here it is: They've hired away the Medina superintendent to oversee agronomy at the two courses being built in the Alamo City. I actually reported this a couple weeks ago (after it was first reported in the San Antonio newspaper) on my Texas Golf blog. But I got the PGA Tour press release tonight, so I'll post that here:

 

SAN ANTONIO, June 17, 2008 — TPC San Antonio has announced the hiring of Golf Course Superintendent Tom Lively to oversee all agronomy for the highly anticipated 36-hole facility. Lively comes to TPC San Antonio from Medinah Country Club in Chicago, where he served as Director of Golf Course Operations for the past seven years. His tenure at Medinah included the 2006 PGA Championship, won by Tiger Woods.

"We're very pleased to have someone of Tom's stature come on board at TPC San Antonio," said Cal Roth, Senior Vice President of Agronomy for the PGA TOUR. "Considering the agronomic and major championship experience he developed at Medinah Country Club, Tom is a valuable addition to this exciting project and the TPC Network, and we are confident he will do a wonderful job in his new roll."

TPC San Antonio will open in Spring 2010 with golf courses designed by two of golf’s most innovative designers, newly announced World Golf of Fame inductee Pete Dye and Greg Norman, a World Golf Hall of Fame player who has established himself as a world-class course designer. Dye is designing the AT&T Canyons Course with player consultant Bruce Lietzke and Norman is designing the AT&T Oaks Course with player consultant Sergio Garcia.

"After working at Medinah C.C. for the past seven years and going through a very successful PGA Championship in 2006, I decided to look toward the future," Lively said. "I have always wanted to be involved with the construction of a new golf course and when this opportunity came along, I couldn’t turn it down. The project is bigger than I could have ever imagined and presents a very unique and exciting opportunity. I look forward to working with everyone involved and preparing for the opening of two spectacular golf courses."

Medinah is considered one of the outstanding golf clubs in the country. Its No. 3 course, ranked 11th in Golf Digest’s "America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses," has played host to three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, one U.S. Senior Open and will be the site of the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Also announced are the variety of grasses that will be used on the AT&T Oaks Course, a Greg Norman Signature Design. Seeding has just begun and is projected to be completed by the end of this Summer.

Grass selections for the AT&T Oaks Course are as follows:

Greens - Champions
Tees - Emerald Bermuda
Collars & Approaches - Emerald Bermuda
Fairways - Tifsport Bermuda
Rough - Bandera Bermuda

Both Dye and Norman are known for their environmental stewardship and both courses at TPC San Antonio will feature a closed-loop irrigation system designed to insure protection of the Edwards Aquifer, San Antonio’s main water source. Situated on 2,800 rolling acres, both Dye’s AT&T Canyons Course and Norman’s AT&T Oaks Course are being built with the necessary infrastructure to be host venues for PGA TOUR tournaments, as is the case with every TPC project. Once open, the courses and the club will position San Antonio as a premier golf destination.

 

 

Here's an interesting story from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram -- http://www.star-telegram.com/610/story/655816.html -- it's about a Fort Worth family made up of huge golf fans. How huge? They like to hang giant signs off their house welcoming golfers to the Colonial, or proclaiming their "love" of their favorites.

A couple years ago the young boys in the family had a lemonade stand. And Phil Mickelson stopped one day and bought a 50-cent lemonade with a $100 bill. That's a $99.50 tip! I'm setting up shop down the block and I'm going to undersell those little whippersnappers right out of business!

The family had a "We love Furyk" signing last year, and Jim Furyk saw it every day driving to the tournament. So on Monday of this tournament week, he stopped and knocked on the door and visited with the family for a while. No word on whether he outttipped Phil on the lemonade ...

 

The Kuehnes are a famous golf clan, and a famous Texas family. So as a Texan who loves golf, it's with sadness - but much appreciation - that I bid farewell to Trip Kuehne.

The oldest of the Kuehne siblings stepped off the national stage on Friday after missing the cut at The Masters. Trip is now retired from top-level competitive golf.

As someone with the talent to make a good living on the PGA Tour, Trip chose instead to make a good life living in Dallas with his wife Dusti and son Will, and running a respected money management fund.

He's been a part-time golfer for a long time. But still managed to play in two Masters, four U.S. Opens and four Walker Cups, to win the U.S. Mid-Amateur title, and to win too many significant state tournaments in Texas to mention.

Trip is the last great career amateur.

That career is over now, however, after Trip missed the cut yesterday. Although he did finish as low amateur with a second-round 72.

The Kuehne clan has had a lot of turmoil, but also more accomplishments than most of us can dream of. They're a complicated group. The Kuehnes spent the week in Augusta, Ga., gathered to watch Trip. Among those there were Trip's wife and son, his mom and dad, sister Kelli, brother Hank, Hank's girlfriend Venus Williams, Trip's friends Tony Romo and Terrence Newman (of the Dallas Cowboys), and assorted other friends and family.

I recommend this Golf Magazine profile of the Trip and the Kuehnes from last month's issue. And yesterday, the author of that profile wrote about Trip's final round at Augusta on golf.com. (Hank: "I'm going to stand in the fairway where I'm safe." Kelli: "That was a perfect shank." Long, tearful embrace with Dad off the 18th green.)

Trip left with class, the way he always played:

"With everything that this course means to amateur golf, with Bobby Jones and all the amateurs that they have historically had play in this tournament, to get the opportunity to represent all the amateurs that have never turned pro or just dreamed about playing here, all the working people that have either dreamed about playing Augusta National or coming to the Masters Tournament, to get to play and to represent those people, that's what I always wanted to do."

"It was a hell of a ride," Trip said, when it was over. It always is with the Kuehnes.

Anna Rawson's writing a blog for Yahoo. She's playing in Mexico this week, one of the weakest fields you'll ever see on the LPGA Tour. Great opportunity for Anna (and lots and lots of other players who aren't fully exempt) to make some scratch and claw their way up the money list. (Hmmm, bad writing -- should have said claw before I said scratch. Oh well.)

So Anna went out and shot an 86 today. All that modeling wears on a person. Wonder what she'll say in her blog about this one.

John Daly quit again today. He shot 78 in the first round and was stinking it up in the second, so he was going to miss the cut anyway at the Houston Open. Then he got to his 7th hole today, made a double-bogey, and quit. Claimed he had a back injury.

I bet he heads to the Hooters tent to find some "painkillers" for that "back injury."

Roger Maltbie just got a little testy with Johnny Miller on the air. Go Rog!

Miller said  he didn't remember the hole location on No. 10 being where it is today and threw that comment to Roger. Maltbie replied that he does remember it being there.

Miller then "explained" that the hole location on the weekend is usually in this other location, or that other location, but not where it's at today. "I've been covering this tournament for a long time," he condescendingly said to Maltbie.

But Maltbie fired back, "I've been right here with you John." Then added, "I'm the little guy down in the fairway."

Get out of your ivory broadcast tower Johnny!

The PODS Championship is losing its title sponsor following this tournament. No more PODS in Tampa Bay. And don't be surprised if there's no more tournament in Tampa Bay, either, at least sometime soon.

I suspect that within the next couple years - by 2011 at the latest - this event will either have been shunted back to the Fall Series, or be gone altogether, replaced by a new tournament. Maybe even both - replaced by a tournament that joins the Fall Series.

I expect to see the Texas Open in this slot on the schedule by 2010, maybe even next season. There are two reasons for this:

1. The Texas Open is moving from its current course in San Antonio to a PGA Tour-owned TPC course now under construction. The Tour wants to show off its new course, after all.
2. The Texas Open is the largest moneymaker for charities on the PGA Tour. Which is pretty remarkable, given that it's stuck in the Fall Series and rarely draws much interest from fans or top players. Yet the past couple years, the Texas Open has raised more money for charity than any other event on Tour.

And as I've noted on my Texas Golf blog, according to multiple reports Tim Finchem has promised the  Texas Open overseers their tournament will move to a Spring date on the PGA Tour schedule "as soon as a slot becomes available."

And here you have the PODS Championship, losing its sponsor (and for the second time in just several years) and floundering about. The Texas Open in March in 2009 or 2010? Works for me.

This is unusual, as far as I know: The PGA Tour has sold the naming rights to the two TPC courses it is building in San Antonio, Texas, to San Antonio-based telecommunications giant AT&T. AT&T is already heavily involved in golf (and other sports) as the title sponsor of several tournaments, and has bought the rights to various arenas. In San Antonio, it sponsors the Champions Tour stop and has its name on the Spurs' arena.

The two TPC courses are under construction now, and are part of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. The courses are expected to open by 2010, and the PGA Tour Texas Open and Champions Tour AT&T Championship are expected to move to the TPC.

The two courses will be called, after the sale of naming rights, the AT&T Oaks Course and the AT&T Canyons Course.

Here's the report from the local paper:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/att/stories/MYSA020408.1R.ATTgolf.2b356ce.html

Random thought while watching the Sony Open tonight: "Good Lord, did John Daly get even fatter?" Is it just me? Sure looked like Long John has packed on even more pounds. I'm betting he's around 300 ... he's closing in on offensive lineman weight. All the weight with none of the muscle.

I think we should all send out the following thought through mind-meld magic -- "Good luck Butch!"

(Editor's Note: Bumped up from diaries and edited to add blockquotes.)

I was flipping through (electronically) the new rulebook for 2008 over on USGA.org, and something in the Etiquette section caught my eye. It was a minor change to the section titled "Priority on the course." Here's how it used to read:

"Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, priority on the course is determined by a group's pace of play. Any group playing a whole round is entitled to pass a group playing a shorter round."

Here's how it now reads (italics mine):

"Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, priority on the course is determined by a group's pace of play. Any group playing a whole round is entitled to pass a group playing a shorter round. The term 'group' includes a single player."

All I can say to this is, "hooray!" Thanks to the USGA and R&A for, over the past couple updates to the rulebook, making it clear that singles deserve the same courtesies on the golf course as any other golfers, be they in twosomes, threesomes or foursomes.

So, why is this something that would catch my eye? The answer is in the post below, which I originally posted on my own blog, Texas Golf. I'll reprint it here.

Don't Be That Group
As I've mentioned before, I like to play on cool, drizzly days. I'm a fast player, and on these days I head out as a single to courses that are mostly empty and I play a quick 18, then head back to work.

Of course, sometimes I'll run into other groups on the course. The links aren't always deserted (these are just typical Scottish links-type days, after all). And most of the time, a group will quickly wave me through when they see a single rolling up in a cart behind them, and there's plenty of wide-open spaces ahead of them.

But not always. Sometimes I run into that group. You know the type. Perhaps yours is the type. The group that never offers to let anyone play through, no matter the circumstances.

This happened to me yesterday, as a matter of fact. There were two groups on the front nine - myself (a single), and four holes ahead of me when I teed off, a threesome.

I caught the threesome when it was on the No. 6 tee. I finished on No. 5 green, and drove up behind them as the last of the threesome was heading back to his cart. They all three looked my way. One said hello. Then all three drove off.

No, "Hey, want to join us?" Not, "Want to play through?" A slow threesome just getting off the tee - and with nobody in front of them for at least four or five holes - neglected to offer to let a single play through.

That's inexcusable.

I know what some of you - some of you who make up groups like this - are thinking. You're thinking, "yeah, but the rules say a single has no standing on the golf course, so I don't have to let you play through."

Two problems with that: First, it's idiotic and asinine and just plain rude to take that attitude when there's nobody in front of you for several holes. A slower group should always let a faster group play through, when it is possible to do so.

Second, the rules don't say that. It's true that the Etiquette section of the Official Rules of Golf once included a section on "priority on the course" that said that twosomes always have priority, followed by foursomes and then threesomes, and that a single "has no standing on the course."

But the Rules don't say that anymore. Besides, see point No. 1. In fact, the rules probably don't say that because of point No. 1 - because too many morons were using that part of the rulebook as an excuse to act like jerks.

What the rulebook says now in its etiquette section is pretty straightforward:

If (a group has a clear hole ahead of it) and is delaying the group behind, it should invite the group behind to play through, irrespective of the number of players in that group.

So don't be that group on the golf course. Don't be that group of morons, that group of jerks, who can't take a few minutes of its time (time it's using up in huge quantities already with its slow play) to do the courteous thing, the right thing, and offer to let faster groups play through.

Do the right thing. Golf is always a better game when you do.

So I watched "Golf With Style" tonight - yep, on a Friday night, I'm sitting in front of the TV watching Golf With Style. Good God, I need to get a life!

Anyway, the episode was all about the next Big Break cast. It's another all-female cast, which means I'm going to watch - because I do love the ladies.

So here's a link for a rundown of the cast -- http://golf.about.com/od/thebigbreak/a/bbk_cast.htm

Looking over the golfers, I'd say there are four who stand out above the rest -- Sophie Sandolo (I guess the big news is that the Golf Channel got Sandolo onto the show), Samantha Head, Lori Atsedes and Kim Welch.

There's also one golfer, possibly two, who has no earthly chance of winning. In fact, having Cirbie Sheppard in the cast is an insult to the other cast members. I looked her up on the Cactus Tour -- two tournaments, second one withdrew, first one 92-97 ... forty-five over par. Gimme a break. Dana Bates-Weinmeirer? A teaching pro. Who knows. But doubtful.

Adrienne Gautreaux, my fellow Texan, will be the one I cheer for. Because she's a fellow Texan. And because she has an outstanding, thick Texas drawl. I love it.

But the winner will come from among Sandolo, Head, Atsedes and Welch.

I've been following the development of the TPC San Antonio project on my Texas Golf Blog for several years. The project actually dates back about eight years, to when the PGA of America first proposed a PGA Village for San Antonio. That deal was eventually quashed by environmentalists and by tax-giveaway concers, and the PGA pulled out. Then the PGA Tour stepped in with a TPC plan, and that eventually got approved and is now under way.

The TPC San Antonio will have two courses, one designed by Greg Norman (with Sergio Garcia as player consultant), the other by Pete Dye (with Bruce Lietzke as player consultant). Both are scheduled to open in 2010.

The Norman course will be the new home of the PGA Tour Texas Open. And the Champions Tour AT&T Championship will in all likelihood move to the Dye course.

Anyway, the point of this post is to pass along the URL of the TPC San Antonio "construction blog":

blog.tpcsanantonio.com

The project's reps are posting updates, photos, course layouts and such. Should be an interesting way to follow the progress of a high-profile golf course project.

Have to admit, I'm actually liking the Big Break Mesquite show now. Kinda surprised about that. Especially since the jerk of the show if my fellow Texan Anthony Rodriguez, or "A-God" as the other guys derisively call him.

He was in fine form tonight, acting like a jerk, and then he couldn't even close the deal. He has a 6-foot putt on the last hole to win it for his team, and he missed it.

I don't remember any other Big Breaker being so universally despised by the other people on the show. I hate saying it about one of my homeboys, but I hope A-God gets kicked off soon.

Because Anthony Rodriguez is a Texan, I'm having to watch the Big Break - Mesquite to keep up with antics (as the owner of the Texas Golf blog).

So I caught last night's episode where Matt Every was eliminated. Seemed like all the other golfers on the show had settled on Every as the best player and the one to beat. So everyone was pretty surprised.

I wonder if that says more about them than about Every, though. Because his track record as a pro so far isn't that great. Last week, I think, Stu published the Top 10 on the Canadian Tour money list, and Every was No. 10. That doesn't really scream out "can't-miss future."

Plus, he just didn't look impressive - at all - on the BB.

On another BB related note, James Nitties, the Aussie in the field, Monday qualified in Midland a couple days ago and is playing in the Nationwide Tour WNB Classic this week.

(Editor's Note: Elevated from the diaries.)

So the Texas Open is upon us again. That means one thing: low scores.

I've been looking through the PGA Tour record book and it's amazing how many times the Texas Open pops up in the sections about lowest scores in tour history.

For example, the first, third and sixth times in tour history that someone shot 60, it happened at the Texas Open:

• 
  
• Al Brosch, 1951 Texas Open
  
• Ted Kroll, 1954 Texas Open
  
• Mike Souchak, 1955 Texas Open
  

And here are some more Texas Open records on the PGA Tour:

Lowest 72-Hole Scores

1. 254 - Tommy Armour III, 2003 Texas Open
   
3. (tie) 256 - Mike Souchak, 1955 Texas Open
   
4. (tie) 258 - Donnie Hammond, 1989 Texas Open

Lowest 9-Hole Scores
2. (tie) 27 - Mike Souchak, 1955 Texas Open

Lowest Back-to-Back Rounds
2. (tie) 125 - Ron Streck, 1978 Texas Open; Tommy Armour III, 2003 Texas Open

Lowest Opening 54 Holes

1. (tie) 189 - Tommy Armour III, 2003 Texas Open
   
2. (tie) 191 - Johnny Palmer, 1954 Texas Open

What really stands out here for me is that most of these records were shot on different golf courses in San Antonio. You can't "blame" these low scores on the one host course being easy. All the courses the Texas Open has been played on were (or are) easy!

The tournament is currently played on the Resort Course at the Westin La Cantera Resort. Now, I happen to be from San Antonio, and I've played the Resort Course many times, including several times just before the tournament when its rough was a little deeper and greens a little faster. And it is an easy golf course. No, I've never shot 63s there, but I have shot personal bests there.

It's slightly over 7,000 yards, but it just doesn't have many defenses. Most of his longer holes play downhill, some of them significantly. There are par-4s that even I can reach (playing from the tournament tees) off the tee, and par-5s that the pros have no more than a 9-iron into. The greens are relatively flat, and usually beautifully manicured, so they roll great without much break. The Bermuda rough just doesn't get very high, but with wide fairways and nothing but wedges into the green anyway, it just doesn't make too much of a difference.

It's a fantastic resort course, superb for the guests saying at the resort or anyone else dropping in to play it. But it leaves a lot to be desired as a PGA Tour course. Which might be why the tour is building a PGA Tour resort in San Antonio, with courses designed by Pete Dye and Greg Norman. The Texas Open is expected to move to the Norman course in 2010. Maybe then we'll see scores at the Texas Open that aren't quite so low.

Didn't see a note about this here yet, so I'll go ahead and cross-post what I just put on my own Texas Golf blog:

Colt Knost, coming off one of the great years in amateur golf in recent memory, announced he is turning pro and will make his professional debut at the PGA Tour Texas Open in San Antonio next week.

This year Knost, who played collegiately at SMU, won the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, the U.S. Amateur Championship, and was a key member of the victorious U.S. Walker Cup team.

Knost will seek other exemptions into the few remaining PGA Tour events this year, and will go through PGA Tour qualifying (having to start in the First Stage).

Through is amateur victories in 2007, Knost had received spots in the field at the 2008 Masters, U.S. Open and British. But since he is turning pro, he forfeits all of those exemptions.

The Presidents Cup is this week, the Solheim Cup was a few weeks ago, so was the Walker Cup. The Seve Cup is next month, the Ryder Cup and the Curtis Cup are next year.

Ever heard of the PGA Cup? It's a similar format event, but it's played by teams of PGA Professionals (as opposed to touring pros, or top amateur golfers) representing the PGA of America and PGA Professionals from Great Britain and Ireland.

They've got a cup for everything! But I just wanted to give a shout out to the PGA Cup guys, because these are the guys who run golf courses or teach golf or coach golf, and they don't get much ink. But they are the backbone of the game.

The U.S. team won this year's PGA Cup by a score of 13 1/2 to 12 1/2. All the stories can be found on PGA.com at http://www.pga.com/pgacup/2007/index.html.

The captain of the U.S. side was Roger Warren, past PGA of America president. The captain of the GB&I side was Gary Alliss (who I believe is Peter Alliss' son).

The US team was Chip Sullivan, Troutville, Va.;
Mike Small, Champaign, Ill.; Ron Philo Jr., Amelia Island, Fla.; Ryan Benzel, Bothell, Wash.; Alan Schulte, Fishers, Ind.; Butch Sheehan, Rancho Mirage, Calif.; Tim Thelen, College Station, Texas; Lee Rinker, Jupiter, Fla.;
Don Yrene, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Chris Starkjohann, Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.

The GB&I side was Andrew Barnett, North Wales Golf Range, Clwyd, Wales; John Bevan, Wessex Golf Centre, Weymouth, England; John Dwyer of County Meath, Ireland; Craig Goodfellow, Carlisle Driving Range, Cumbria, England; Duncan Muscroft, Montecchia Golf Club, Padova, Italy; Michael Nesbit, Westerhope Golf Club, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England; George Ryall, Players Club, Bristol, England; Danny Taylor, Swingers Golf Range, Lichfield, England; Paul Wesselingh of Derby, England; James Whatley, Morley Hayes Golf Club, Ilkeston, England

There's a discussion going on over the on the 4GEA message boards about industry rumors. The rumor du jour is that TaylorMade is going to try to buy Cleveland -- http://forums.prospero.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=golfequip&msg=228644.1

Another rumor has Puma (!) interested in Cleveland, and someone said that Roger Cleveland - the company namesake who now works for Callaway - is trying to get Callaway interested.

The U.S. Pro Golf Tour had some mighty big plans for 2007, some involving million-dollar tournaments sponsored by Donald Trump. But all those plans fell apart early in the year and tour seemed dead. Mulligan Stu described it here.

I wrote about the collapse of the USPGT quite a bit on my own blog, Texas Golf, because when the big tour died it took the Tight Lies Tour with it. The Tights Lies had been around Texas as a regional mini-tour for years, and has since be reconstituted (independent of the USPGT organization) as the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series.

Now it looks like the USPGT is planning a comeback for 2008. I stumbled across this brief press release earlier today in which the tour says it will have a full schedule of tournaments in 2008. It says any tour and tournament fees paid by golfers for the 2007 season will be honored in 2008 (which I interpret to mean nobody got their money back this year!).

But I hope it does come to pass and the USPGT is revived, because before they're eyes go so big (they seemed to want to challenge the Nationwide Tour) the USPGT was a very solid, well-paying tour with some very good players.

Another major champion has left us. Today, Gay Brewer - the 1967 Masters Champions, died at the age of 75 following a bout with lung cancer. He nearly won the 1966 Masters but lost in a playoff to Jack Nicklaus.

The Associated Press obituary is here.

A quote from Nicklaus that appears in the obit:

"What I remember most about Gay is his sense of humor and the kidding he always enjoyed doing," Nicklaus said. "He always had a joke. Gay was just a fun-loving guy and you always looked forward to being around him. One thing you had to do around Gay was to protect your clubs. Gay would walk up to you, look inside your bag, and say, 'Hey, that's a great-looking club. Can I try it?' If he did, there was a good chance he would never return it. Gay must have had the largest collection of borrowed clubs anyone's ever seen. Gay was just a great guy who was great fun to be around."

I did not personally know Joe Jimenez, but I did play golf once one group behind Joe's and it was a joy to watch him golf. He was 77 years old at that time, and he was still striping the ball down the middle, 270 yards, off every tee.

Joe Jimenez died Saturday in San Antonio at the age of 81.

A lot of you are probably wondering who Jimenez is, having never heard of him. Jimenez has great credentials - he won the 1978 Senior PGA Championship (before there was a Senior Tour), played the Champions Tour when he was in his mid- and late-60s, and up until a couple years ago, into his late 70s, was still playing in the Legends of Golf every year in the "more senior" senior divisions (60-and-over, 70-and-over), teaming with his longtime friend Charlie Sifford and winning his division.

Jimenez - like Sifford - grew up in a time when golf at the highest levels was closed off to many people of certain races and ethnicities. Joe came up through the caddie ranks in Texas, went into the Army, spent nearly 30 years as club pro in Missouri, before opportunity came knocking at the touring professional level with the advent of the Champions Tour.

I don't believe he won on the Champions Tour - he was already in his late 50s, maybe early 60s, by the time he got his chance. But he definitely made a mark.

In 1991, Jimenez set a record for the youngest touring pro to shoot below his age. He was 65 years old when he shot 63 in a Champions Tour tournament. (Walter Morgan later beat that mark.)

But Jimenez still holds the touring professional record for most strokes below age - when he was 69, he shot a 62 at the 1995 Ameritech Senior Open.

The San Antonio newspaper has a nice obituary of Jimenez, who was a very nice man. I'll miss seeing him out on the courses around town.