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.