Monday, March 7, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Frank Chirkinian, the Godfather of televised golf dies @ 84
Frank Chirkinian, a pioneer in golf television who dazzled audiences each spring with his production of the Masters Tournament, died Friday at his home in North Palm Beach, Fla. He was 84.
Among the innovations Chirkinian introduced were relation-to-par scoring, multiple cameras, microphones on tees and aerial blimps. He won four Emmy and two Peabody awards during his career, where he was executive producer for golf on CBS from 1959 to 1996.
"He was never afraid to take a chance," Lance Barrow, who succeeded him, said in a televised interview. "Don't be afraid to do something different. Frank set the standard."
Tributes to Chirkinian poured in Friday on the news of his death after a bout with lung cancer.
"Chirkinian made Augusta National what it is today from a television standpoint," six-time Masters winner Jack Nicklaus said. "He made it theater. He was a pioneer with some of the things he did bringing golf to television."
Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports, said: "Frank has left a legacy of excellence and creativity in golf broadcasting that will never be equaled and is a true Hall of Famer in all of sports television."
CBS will honor Chirkinian during today's programming, and Jim Nantz will deliver a special tribute during halftime of today's Kansas-Missouri game that begins at noon.
In February, Chirkinian was selected for induction to the World Gold Hall of Fame in the lifetime achievement category. He will be enshrined May 9 along with Ernie Els, Doug Ford, Jumbo Ozaki, former President George H.W. Bush and the late Jock Hutchison.
But it was at the Masters where Chirkinian shined.
His career coincided with the rise of Arnold Palmer, and Chirkinian remembered the first time he saw the four-time Masters champion on television at the Masters.
"Here comes Arnold, at the brow of the hill on 15, and this is my first experience with Arnold," Chirkinian said in a 2004 interview with The Augusta Chronicle . "And you know, the camera either loves you or hates you. The camera fell in love with him, standing there next to his caddie, hitching his trousers, wrinkling his nose, flipping a cigarette to the ground. He hitched his trousers again and grabbed a club from his caddie. And he hits it on the green.
"I thought, 'Holy mackerel, who is this guy?' He absolutely fired up the screen. It was quite obvious this was the star. We followed him all the way."
When asked by Golfweek in a recent interview why the Masters was his favorite event, Chirkinian said: "There was always something special. It's probably the greatest theater in all of sports."
Chirkinian also was a part-time Augusta resident who lived in West Lake and was well known around the city. Chuck Baldwin, owner of French Market Grille, said Chirkinian invested with him in the restaurant business when French Market West opened during the 1990s.
"I had great admiration for him. He was a larger than life kind of person," Baldwin said. "He was just legendary the way he did golf."
Chirkinian also had a fierce temper that earned him the nickname of "The Ayatollah" to his CBS colleagues. He expected, and demanded, perfection.
"I can't think of a better nickname for him," Baldwin said. "He had a very, very soft interior. Gruff exterior, but an extremely generous person. He was a unique individual."
NBC's Jimmy Roberts only worked one time with Chirkinian, when he was with ESPN. The network and CBS split the coverage of the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1996. Sitting President Bill Clinton attended one day and Roberts was asked to interview him in the president's booth.
In the middle of the interview, Chirkinian decided to cut to live golf and barked in Roberts' ear, "You guys do the coverage," meaning Roberts with Clinton as his color commentator.
"I've never done live play by play before," Roberts said. "I don't know who I was more intimidated by -- the leader of the free world at my side or the guy in my ear."
Though Roberts didn't know Chirkinian well, he understands the magnitude of his influence in televised golf.
"He was a giant in our industry," Roberts said. "Suffice to say, all of us -- even those who did not know him -- are feeling a great loss today, and we should. They always say everybody who plays professional golf today should give a piece of their winnings to Arnold Palmer. Every TV golf person owes a debt of gratitude to Frank Chirkinian."
-John Boyette
Mike Weir shots pedestrian 85 in round 2 @ Honda; loses exempt status on PGA Tour
Everyone could see it coming, but when it finally arrived on Friday, it was still hard to believe Mike Weir had fallen so far, so fast.
Just eight years ago, the wiry left-hander from Bright's Grove, Ont., was on top of the world, the winner of one of golf's most prestigious tournaments, the Masters, perhaps the single greatest achievement by a Canadian golfer in history. He went on to win two other tournaments that year, as well as others in 2004 and 2007 for a career total of eight.
On Friday, however, Weir lost his free ride on the PGA Tour when he failed to make the cut at the Honda Classic, ending his full-time exempt status.
The 40-year-old had struggled through two rounds at the Classic, including an opening day 7-over 77 on Thursday, then a horrendous mistake-filled 15-over 85 in Friday's second round. His 22-over total through 36 holes left him in last place for the tournament.
Weir left quickly after the tournament and was not available for comment. A spokesman said he might have something to say about his future in the coming days.
Weir landed in this predicament for a combination of reasons, but primarily because an injury-plagued and injury-shortened season caused him to drop outside the Top 125 on the PGA Tour's money list in 2010. That was the cutoff for the right to play full-time on the tour this year.
As a result of a torn ligament in his elbow, he was granted a medical exemption from having to requalify for the tour last fall. That exemption also gave him the right to play up to five events this year.
The catch was that he had to earn about $225,000, which, when added to his 2010 earnings of $559,000, would give him the equivalent of 125th place on last year's list.
Unfortunately for Weir, his game hasn't been nearly up to par. He missed the cut four times in those five starts, and the only time he made the cut, he was tied for 77th and earned just $10,788 in prize money. That's pretty good for a tie for 77th, but it's a long way from $225,000.
He'll now have to rely on sponsor and other tournament exemptions to compete in tournaments. For example, as a former Masters winner, he has a life-time exemption to play in that major championship. He's also in the field for next week's event in Puerto Rico. There is also an exemption based on being in the Top 50 of the PGA's all-time money list -- Weir is 12th at nearly $27 million U.S. -- but it's one-time only.
All of this only underlines just how far he has slipped. Eight years ago when he won the Masters and two other PGA Tour titles, Weir was solidly in the Top 10 of the world rankings.
His spiral has been a long time in the works. Weir hasn't won on the PGA Tour since 2007 and has missed the cut more than 30 times since then.
His stats going into the Honda Clasic were telling, and pretty ugly: 184th on the PGA Tour in driving average at 265.4 yards; 182nd in driving accuracy; 172nd in greens-in-regulation; 139th in putting average; 182nd in scoring average at 73.8.
Meanwhile, Calgary's Stephen Ames shot a two-over 72 on Friday and is tied for 52nd place at the Honda Classic with 5-over 145. American Kyle Stanley is in top spot after shooting a 4-under 66 Friday. His two-day total is 6-under 134.
Just eight years ago, the wiry left-hander from Bright's Grove, Ont., was on top of the world, the winner of one of golf's most prestigious tournaments, the Masters, perhaps the single greatest achievement by a Canadian golfer in history. He went on to win two other tournaments that year, as well as others in 2004 and 2007 for a career total of eight.
On Friday, however, Weir lost his free ride on the PGA Tour when he failed to make the cut at the Honda Classic, ending his full-time exempt status.
The 40-year-old had struggled through two rounds at the Classic, including an opening day 7-over 77 on Thursday, then a horrendous mistake-filled 15-over 85 in Friday's second round. His 22-over total through 36 holes left him in last place for the tournament.
Weir left quickly after the tournament and was not available for comment. A spokesman said he might have something to say about his future in the coming days.
Weir landed in this predicament for a combination of reasons, but primarily because an injury-plagued and injury-shortened season caused him to drop outside the Top 125 on the PGA Tour's money list in 2010. That was the cutoff for the right to play full-time on the tour this year.
As a result of a torn ligament in his elbow, he was granted a medical exemption from having to requalify for the tour last fall. That exemption also gave him the right to play up to five events this year.
The catch was that he had to earn about $225,000, which, when added to his 2010 earnings of $559,000, would give him the equivalent of 125th place on last year's list.
Unfortunately for Weir, his game hasn't been nearly up to par. He missed the cut four times in those five starts, and the only time he made the cut, he was tied for 77th and earned just $10,788 in prize money. That's pretty good for a tie for 77th, but it's a long way from $225,000.
He'll now have to rely on sponsor and other tournament exemptions to compete in tournaments. For example, as a former Masters winner, he has a life-time exemption to play in that major championship. He's also in the field for next week's event in Puerto Rico. There is also an exemption based on being in the Top 50 of the PGA's all-time money list -- Weir is 12th at nearly $27 million U.S. -- but it's one-time only.
All of this only underlines just how far he has slipped. Eight years ago when he won the Masters and two other PGA Tour titles, Weir was solidly in the Top 10 of the world rankings.
His spiral has been a long time in the works. Weir hasn't won on the PGA Tour since 2007 and has missed the cut more than 30 times since then.
His stats going into the Honda Clasic were telling, and pretty ugly: 184th on the PGA Tour in driving average at 265.4 yards; 182nd in driving accuracy; 172nd in greens-in-regulation; 139th in putting average; 182nd in scoring average at 73.8.
Meanwhile, Calgary's Stephen Ames shot a two-over 72 on Friday and is tied for 52nd place at the Honda Classic with 5-over 145. American Kyle Stanley is in top spot after shooting a 4-under 66 Friday. His two-day total is 6-under 134.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Hall of Famers chime in on the Tiger Woods major debate
Two members of the World Golf Hall of Fame shared the duties as keynote speaker at Thursday’s kickoff luncheon for the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
Each weighed in with a different opinion about Tiger Woods and his quest to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships as a professional golfer.
Woods, 35, owns 14 major titles but has not won a PGA Tour event since the 2009 season. This week he fell to fifth in the latest world golf rankings, Woods’ lowest position since May 1997.
Lee Trevino, a Dallas resident and six-time major champion, said he expects Woods to rebound from his current slump — which began shortly after reports of extramarital affairs surfaced in November 2009, and led to Woods’ divorce last year — and eclipse Nicklaus’ mark.
“Yes, I think he’ll break it,” Trevino said. “He might not be as intimidating as he was ... but he hasn’t lost his game. He’s still a good player and he’s got desire.”
Lanny Wadkins, a Dallas resident and 2009 Hall of Fame enshrine, is less convinced.
“I think it’s 50/50,” Wadkins said of Woods’ odds to reach 19 major titles and surpass Nicklaus. “I really do. The thing that everybody forgets about how impressive it was to do what Jack did is that when he was winning those 18 majors, he was beating ... Hall of Famers.”
By contrast, Wadkins said Woods’ most hard-earned major titles have come in playoff victories over journeymen Rocco Mediate (2008 U.S. Open) and Bob May (2000 PGA) and have occurred in an era where the next-best player, Phil Mickelson, has won only four career majors.
“That’s hollow,” Wadkins said of Woods’ resume when compared to Nicklaus’.
Wadkins, 61, said Woods — who has tweaked his swing three times as a pro, most recently under the tutelage of Sean Foley — “still has a lot of hangover from (former instructor) Hank Haney left in his swing,” which hinders his current results.
Trevino, 71, suggested that Woods return to the swing he used from 1999 to 2002, when he won seven of 11 majors in one stretch (including four in a row) while working with former instructor Butch Harmon.
“My opinion with Tiger is that once he gets his mind set straight and quits messing with all these instructors ... he’ll (pass Nicklaus),” Trevino said. “My suggestion to Tiger Woods, and I don’t know if it will ever happen, is he’s got to look at the film of when he started winning all those tournaments and go right back to what he was doing and get rid of all these people (tweaking his current swing).”
Trevino and Wadkins, the 1973 Nelson champ, shared the dais to promote the 2011 Nelson. Jason Day, a Fort Worth resident, is the defending champion and one of the highest-profile commitments on a list that includes Dustin Johnson, D.A. Points, Jhonattan Vegas, Johnson Wagner, Charley Hoffman and Rory Sabbatini, a Fort Worth resident who took the 2009 Nelson title.
Vegas, Points and Wagner have won tour events this season. Johnson, ranked No. 14 in the world, is the highest-ranked player on the Nelson commitment list.
Each weighed in with a different opinion about Tiger Woods and his quest to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships as a professional golfer.
Woods, 35, owns 14 major titles but has not won a PGA Tour event since the 2009 season. This week he fell to fifth in the latest world golf rankings, Woods’ lowest position since May 1997.
Lee Trevino, a Dallas resident and six-time major champion, said he expects Woods to rebound from his current slump — which began shortly after reports of extramarital affairs surfaced in November 2009, and led to Woods’ divorce last year — and eclipse Nicklaus’ mark.
“Yes, I think he’ll break it,” Trevino said. “He might not be as intimidating as he was ... but he hasn’t lost his game. He’s still a good player and he’s got desire.”
Lanny Wadkins, a Dallas resident and 2009 Hall of Fame enshrine, is less convinced.
“I think it’s 50/50,” Wadkins said of Woods’ odds to reach 19 major titles and surpass Nicklaus. “I really do. The thing that everybody forgets about how impressive it was to do what Jack did is that when he was winning those 18 majors, he was beating ... Hall of Famers.”
By contrast, Wadkins said Woods’ most hard-earned major titles have come in playoff victories over journeymen Rocco Mediate (2008 U.S. Open) and Bob May (2000 PGA) and have occurred in an era where the next-best player, Phil Mickelson, has won only four career majors.
“That’s hollow,” Wadkins said of Woods’ resume when compared to Nicklaus’.
Wadkins, 61, said Woods — who has tweaked his swing three times as a pro, most recently under the tutelage of Sean Foley — “still has a lot of hangover from (former instructor) Hank Haney left in his swing,” which hinders his current results.
Trevino, 71, suggested that Woods return to the swing he used from 1999 to 2002, when he won seven of 11 majors in one stretch (including four in a row) while working with former instructor Butch Harmon.
“My opinion with Tiger is that once he gets his mind set straight and quits messing with all these instructors ... he’ll (pass Nicklaus),” Trevino said. “My suggestion to Tiger Woods, and I don’t know if it will ever happen, is he’s got to look at the film of when he started winning all those tournaments and go right back to what he was doing and get rid of all these people (tweaking his current swing).”
Trevino and Wadkins, the 1973 Nelson champ, shared the dais to promote the 2011 Nelson. Jason Day, a Fort Worth resident, is the defending champion and one of the highest-profile commitments on a list that includes Dustin Johnson, D.A. Points, Jhonattan Vegas, Johnson Wagner, Charley Hoffman and Rory Sabbatini, a Fort Worth resident who took the 2009 Nelson title.
Vegas, Points and Wagner have won tour events this season. Johnson, ranked No. 14 in the world, is the highest-ranked player on the Nelson commitment list.
McIlroy says Woods is no longer a dominant force
Irish golf star Rory McIlroy is scheduled to face off against the new World Match Play champion Luke Donald in Florida - but it's the match between McIlroy and Tiger Woods that fans are really waiting for.
Woods is currently in preparation for next week's world championship in Miami, but McIlroy and Donald are already in Palm Beach Gardens for the Honda Classic.
The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland told the press he believes Woods is playing "like an ordinary golfer" now and he doubts whether the old magic will ever return.
Said McIlroy: "I remember getting nervous when I first met him. I was 15. There was a presence about him. There still is to some extent, but when you're on the golf course you simply block it out. But Tiger is not playing as well as he was even a couple of years ago, never mind going back to the late 1990's and early 2000's, when he was at his best."
Sounds like the young Irishman believes he has this one in the bag.
Woods is currently in preparation for next week's world championship in Miami, but McIlroy and Donald are already in Palm Beach Gardens for the Honda Classic.
The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland told the press he believes Woods is playing "like an ordinary golfer" now and he doubts whether the old magic will ever return.
Said McIlroy: "I remember getting nervous when I first met him. I was 15. There was a presence about him. There still is to some extent, but when you're on the golf course you simply block it out. But Tiger is not playing as well as he was even a couple of years ago, never mind going back to the late 1990's and early 2000's, when he was at his best."
Sounds like the young Irishman believes he has this one in the bag.
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