DISQUS

I feel that in a number of casesthe agents for some of the highly marketable are to blame. They put restrictions on players that make sponsorship of tournaments less attractive for companies.

I met Mary a year ago in NYC... and it was instant chemistry. She's SO nice. So open and friendly and down-to-earth and generous.

Here's to a quick recovery for Mary and Amy.

I'll say one thing, and that is that Veej has an amazing presence.

Awesome interview with a very appealing player.

...and you've helped raise Ryan-Awareness amongst fans... and potential fans. Bravo for that. :)))

OK, admitedly I did spend a tad bit of time drinking Dark and Stormys at Lexus, but I also walked the course for at least a couple of hours each day in the rain and sat in the bleachers each day under an umbrella. And I had an awesome time throughout.

As for Bethpage Black, I definitely hope to sleep in my car in the parking lot later this year. :o)

I'd guess Vijay Singh's own personal experience plays into this as well.

He's always denied the accusations of cheating that got him suspended from the Asian Tour in 1985 and nearly ruined his life, and though they were never proven, quite a number of people hate and distrust him to this day based on those allegations.

Vijay's statement that "...Stanford has yet to be proven guilty." comes with some heavy baggage.

In any case Veej is not the type to do something (or stop doing something) because someone tells him it would look better if he did. Quite the contrary, I'd say.

I was there Friday - Sunday and observed relatively little heckling. Mind you my assignment kept me in and around Lexus Hospitality for quite a bit of that time (no hecklers there), but I did walk much of the course each day on those muddy paths. At one point I ran into a group of overserved lads who heckled me for wearing a golf skirt and cowboy boots. But it was light hearted and not ...um...too obscene...and Ian Poulter soon came to the rescue, dressed in pink, and promptly stole the drunken thunder.

Not surprisingly, I found the bleachers and the fringes much more spirited and exciting then the hospitality area though that was pretty awesome for other reasons. Sorry I missed you.

They're some great pairings, that's for sure.

The Sergio group stands out for me, of course. Not, as many assume, because I have some kind of perverse obsession with the swarthy Spaniard (where did that come from anyway?).

The Bethpage crowd was viscerally and vocally anti-Garcia in 2002, and after Sergio...um... said something he later had to apologize for about Augusta National, I saw lots of comments on the forums from guys who were planning to go to the Open "en masse" and heckle the heart-broken hottie for the entire 18. So I'm thinking I should be there to...er... make sure that doesn't happen. ...And that fact that he'll be playing with Camillo and AS well. That's the proverbial icing.

I'd planned to be there Fri - Sun...now it looks like I may need to go Thurs as well.

So, now we have to call him... "Sir"?

I thought "Nick the [ redacted ]" worked really well.

Love the photo...the big, straight, tall WA trees. Very nice.

Twittering during your round? How subversive of you Ms. Wei.

Is that family photogenic or what? They definitely bring out the best in Phil, who sometimes appears a bit... befuddled... when he's on his own.

Sergio not withstanding, Vijay is my all time favorite player. My admiration knows no bounds.

Thanks for the tip SWei. I'm totally on it.

The best thing about blogging (as opposed to writing for a traditional publication) is that it allows one to more freely express an opinion - however controversial it may be - without concern for sponsors, advertisers and/or public opinion. I love your viewpoint and it often aligns with mine however, in this case I see things quite differently.

PGD is primarily a Las Vegas Golf Travel and Event Planning Company, and as such I find their marketing strategy spot-on, and completely appropriate. I see nothing demeaning in their approach at all, in fact I find it strong and empowering.

You mention that...

"...it objectifies physical attributes and assets, not only skills and talents."

Well, that makes sense because PGD is about "entertainment". Vegas-style entertainment. The golf part of their business is "entertainment golf" - albiet on an exceptionally high level.

They make no claims to offer a competitive golf experience nor do they make any effort to align their marketing campaign with that of the LPGA, or associate the PGD brand with the LPGA brand. Some of the PGD players have played on the LPGA tour, others aspire to get there some day, and all respect the LPGA and its players as representing the highest level of women's professional golf.

As far as the TIME piece is concerned, I was surprised that this magazine - which once prided itself on hard news, well researched and reported - had so changed (with the trying times, one would suppose) that they were now doing stories that in the past, were once the fodder of People Magazine ...or even the tabloids. Ribald references to "escort services, girls for rent and spring break bar maid outfits", in a supposedly serious story, used to be strictly tabloid territory.

One of the golf blogging gentlemen commented somewhere that Nisha should have been more cautious and shouldn't have been surprised to be taken "out of context" because that's what reporters/journalists/copywriters do. And yes, it IS what they do, these days more than ever, even if they're with TIME magazine and even if they appear to admire and respect you and your organization. I'm pretty sure Nisha learned a valuable lesson with this experience.

Just one final observation regarding the LPGA and it's players. A couple of weeks ago at Sybase I saw some players wearing skirts that were shorter, and shirts that were more revealing, then the ones worn by Play Golf Designs... while others wore much more traditional clothing. As far as dress code is concerned it seems to be up to the individual players with little in the way of restrictions. Which makes total sense in that they are a competitive golf organization whose players are there based purely on their golf skills and talent. As such they don't all look good or feel comfortable in "minimal" outfits The fact that a number of the most popular players chose the more revealing outfits is telling though, and... as Court pointed out... the fact that these amazingly talented golfers now feel free to show off cleavage and chat about tits... and all those good things, shows that they see the value of "showing their light side".
I LOVE the videos you do with them as I think just about everyone does.

In conclusion, I'll throw this out there. Though it's a bit off topic. Many men resent the fact that an attractive women can be admired simply for her looks. And resent the fact that an attractive women wields so much power over men. And resent the fact that a woman's sexuality is so much more highly valued than a man's is. I think it's often those resentful men who complain that "the poor women are being objectified". I think those same men would to be happy to have the option of being "objectified" But they would call it "making the most of a valued asset" or something like that. The sad thing is that these men do a really good job at pitting women against each other, and making them feel like they're being exploited for their good looks ...instead of being empowered by them.

OK, I'm done. ;o)

Frying pan and fire come to mind.

Yes, Ray is cuter too. IMHO.

OMG, I love Christina's shirt. I wish I had seen that in person. Very fierce.

Oh come on, no contest there. The girl would look great in a potato sack. Phil, um...not so much.

Another awesome video. Loved that volunteer story. I'm sure there have been a number of funny occurrences with volunteers over the years.

The Lilly Pulitzer sponsorship is priceless.

I never even found him entertaining. Annoying is more the word that comes to mind...and repetitive.

I met him once and he was even worse in real life.

Funny. I don't find AS hot in the least, though I sometimes pretend to. That said, my Sergio obsession is undoubtedly much worse... and my abuse of the strike through is legendary. Gotta work on both those. Geez.

No one's ever one the Players twice in a row. Sergio Garcia is defending and hasn't been playing well of late. Yet he's my pick . I think he can do it.

If they're both really into Twitter, it'll be great for them. Any ambiguity on her part and it'll end badly. Great if they want to tap the Mom-to-be market for some reason. Pregnant women generally can't get enough of other pregnant women.