Having just taken up this sport a year ago...

I can say that the idea that golf is somehow "passive" is clearly being expressed by someone who has never gone beyond Chip 'n Putt.

As a teacher who makes $50K a year, I can say that whoever thinks this is a sport for "oligrachs" is simply trying to score cheap points, again without much knowledge. Yes, we can and should argue about how much pro athletes and entertainers get paid, compared to working folks (like teachers?), but that wasn't what this post was about.

And anyone who says an athlete "choked" has no credibility, because sh/he's clearly never played. ANYthing.

I have admired Tom Watson as a golfer for years

And this British Open was inspiring. Through graduate school and beyond, while watching a variety of sports, I truly enjoyed watching Tom Watson play golf. There always was something almost regal about this man- his style, his dignity, his smile, and his amazing performance.

I do not even play golf, nor have the mindset of "must play golf to show that I have arrived" that prompts a great many. Yet, it is none of these that draw me to Tom Watson. He just comes across as a classy human being, symbolic of what is beautiful in the human person. I have watched Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and the other legends also- but somehow Watson stands out in my mind.

I am simply thankful Tom reminded so many of what is possible, and indeed, what this unassuming, dignified human being is all about. Michael Jordan, Greg Louganis, Wayne Gretzky, Walter Payton, Joe Montana- these all remind me of this winning quality.

Poor Tom

I rooted for him all weekend, what a Cinderella story it would (should) have made. I felt so bad when he hit his 3rd on 18 ten feet past the hole - "there goes the win" I thought to myself, and I hate to say I was right. After three playoff holes and he was down by 4 shots I couldn't bear to watch anymore. Kinda like the last time the SF Giants made it to the World Series. So close....and it all just slipped away.

Bully for Tom though, that he was ever the classy gentleman. No excuses, no recriminations, that's just the way the game goes sometimes. He is always humble, quiet, and a perfect gentleman. He exemplifies what sportsmanship is all about.

greatest athlete a golfer?

Some golfers may also be athletes but please, how much more passive can a game be? Maybe poker on ESPN. That's even a bigger chuckle.

passive ?

I would suggest baseball is as passive as golf. A whole lotta standing around for a few minutes of action. Tiger is in better physical shape than a lot of ball players. The conditions and courses the pros play under would bring the average golfer to tears in a few holes. Golf is just as much a mental exercise as it is a physical one anyways. Have to be locked and loaded for 4 or 5 hours a day.

Why is it admirable

that Tom Watson quit his country club quietly? If he'd raised hell when he did it, I might buy that, but not when he quit 'quietly'.

Goddamned baby boomers.

Just don't have the courtesy to retire or die, free up the golf course for the Generation Y golfers.

LOL

Tom Watson

We all know that professional athletes make huge sums of money, but they receive those sums because they have a skill that most of us don't have, and people are willing to pay them those sums. We live in a capitalist society, I don't begrudge them making those sums - it would be great if everyone got paid commensurately for the unique skills that they have, but our society doesn't work that way. Don't deny Mr. Watson his achievement, or the paycheck that he received for his achievement. I know that I wouldn't turn down that huge paycheck if someone offered it to me. Tom Watson's run of the last 4 days gave those of us "past our prime" a huge boost. Sometimes knowledge is more important than physical skills. That is an important lesson. I'm thinking of hitting the links in the next few days. Any takers?

ah

I raced sailboats for years , even built egt for three amercia cup boats ( as a job ) , built boats up to 260' ( again as a job ) yet i never meet anyone who made their " coin " from sailing , we sail because we love it , we build boats/ships because we love it , we work on boats because it puts some dabloons ( sp )in our pockets , unlike dribling a ball down court or chewing tobacco waiting for someone to hit a ball , or tennis , or bowling , or pool or poker .

My point is this most people in sports are in for the money and not the sport , futhermore the whole idea of a sports bar to me is disgusting , it is nothing more than a distraction of reality , why worry about war or health or living on the streets hey we have sports , yeah go team BS .

Ok im done , for the time being , as just thinking how much money some of these people make " just doing " sports is sicking .

money ?

Ill defend the money golfers make. Its a mentally brutal sport where one missed putt can make the difference between going home without a dime from a tourney. Look past the upper bracket of guys like Tiger,Phil,Els,Love etc etc etc. A lot of guys are just trying to make a living doing something they love. Golf is one of the few performance based sports out there still. Unlike football,hockey and baseball where you still get a cheque even if you play like a bum.

Thank you, Tom

You inspired men over 50.

You inspired me. There are persons on the team who do not throw their clubs down in anger, or act petulant when they do not make a hole. Thank you for your dignity. Tiger is magnificent, but is not a role model for this generation. Instead, he inspires the narcissistic generation. Unfortuantely. Watson embodies a previous generation . Thank you Tom.

takes a golfer

One has to play golf to fully appreciate just how damn good those guys are. Ive been playing since i was a kid, and have more than a few trophies collecting dust, but im not familiar with the game these guys are playing at the pro level. Im not that crazy about how technology has changed the game either. Its fun playing against fools that think long is all you have to know. Those guys generally dont have much game between the ears where it counts the most. Tiger is a freak of nature because no one was ever supposed to be that much better than anyone else when he has his A game. Hes one in a million. I dont love Tiger due to his lack of maturity and pouting and club slamming but i sure respect what he has done and will continue to do. Maybe Tiger will still be trying to win majors 25 years from now when hes in his 50s. Golf is a fickle game though.

Whoa!

I'm almost 60 and I have a hip replacement and routinely walk more than the distance of 18 holes daily, when I'm not riding my bicycle. Don't make life after arthroplasty sound like the torment of the damned.

∆∆∆

So let me get this straight.

Here is a person who hits a small ball around an artificial nature setting, if he does it more efficiently than than others doing the same thing he gets how much money?

If he does it second best he gets $700,000 for a weekends 'work'.

That is more money than tens of millions of people in this country will make in their entire LIVES.

That is the ghastly truth of America. Sorry, I don't share for one minute in your sentiment.

This is a sport for the Oligarchs.

Wonder how many millions of acres of wilderness they've

bulldozed and pesticided into submission just to be able to hit a ball around in Jew-free exclusivity?

not even

i will question your racism

America?

They moved the British Open to America?

∆∆∆

It is an obscene amount of money, and the same thing goes on here.

Doing research on the US per capita income, I would say now that $700,000 is MORE than the lifetime per US capita. At this juncture.

Yeah, but it might be the only money he ever earns...

...on the links again.

Golfers aren't under contract to a team (though, yes, they do make money from endorsements if they've got any kind of following), and pay their own ways to tournaments, pay for their own meals and hotel rooms. Tiger Woods, the best golfer in the world, won £3,200 (you do the conversion) this weekend because he missed the cut after Thursday's round. After expenses, that comes to?

Expenses before or after residuals and endorsement

fees? I'll be Tiger made more than a million this weekend alone. Dude shills for anything, though I don't recall any PSAs against racism in America. Did I miss them?

Okay,

How about Charlie Hoffman? He finished tied with Tiger. Made £3,200. How much on top of that?

∆∆∆

If he never makes another dime he made more in one weekend than the average person makes in a lifetime.

At $5,200 ± Tiger Woods made more than ten times what the average worker made, this weekend.

If I watched television at all my brain would probably rot and I might be more sympathetic.

Till then I am a contrarian.

And if Yo Yo Ma played one night this weekend

with the DSO, how much would he have made? What's his appearance fee? Does he get paid less if he hits a clinker or two?

∆∆∆

He makes a lot, there is no question. He might be the worlds greatest Cellist, but it is the perception. Making such a claim means more for his fee for the artistry.

To err is human but it would be a remarkable event in itself if he played something that anyone but the most trained could detect as being off.

I have watched many performances of Anne-Sophe Mutter, the great goddess of the violin. I have yet to see or hear anything that is not heavenly.

Back to the cello which I follow much less closely, I doubt that he makes nearly as much as Tiger Woods. I am absolutely certain he makes nowhere near as much as scions of the Wall Street Mafia.

We have a winner take all society. The top tier get obscene amounts, it drops off rather dramatically.

Here is an interesting video on the income distribution in the US.

A culture that pays such astronomical amounts to its perceived elite and yet doesn't take care of its most vulnerable citizens is one that is seriously out of kilter.

And I doubt that he has the same amount of avid followers

as Woods.

And the ironic thing is that a lot of the people who donate to your orchestra, Alice, are the same people who pay Tiger's yearly income. They're the people at whom the advertising at a golf tournament is aimed. KIA doesn't advertise during the a major golf tournament, Cadillac does. Geico doesn't, Aflac does. When was the last time you went shopping for insurance for your employees, Alice?

∆∆∆

I don't know what you mean by the last sentence.

This is a materialistic culture, the Europeans value artistic endeavor far more than we do.

With the advent of Corporate sponsorship we have the most highly paid orchestras in the world, with the worst repertoire.

The corporations like the old classic warhorses, they don't like twentieth century music because it is too radical.

The best orchestras with the worst programming. It is a deal with the devil.

Europeans just shelled out $700K to a golfer

for one weekend of golf where he finished second!

What I meant by that last sentence in the last comment is that golf- as well as tennis- advertises to a small audience that has a lot of money, unlike, say, football and baseball, which sell low ticket items, like six-packs of beer, to a huge audience.

But I'm with you: fuck the classics! John Cage FTW!

no

one is a sports icon , the other is an artist , having read your many post over the years , i can not beleive you are taking this position is it sophistry on your part ? .

No, not sophistry.

I appreciate both art and sport, and I think that judging one against the other is up to the individual.

If more people prefer George Jones to Bach, so be it. I side with Bach, but that's me. If you prefer football to Vivaldi, good for you. And if more people over all prefer football to Vivaldi, so be it. I might not understand why (okay, this part is sophistry) , exactly, but I don't think less of those who are in that majority.

It isn't like sport is without merit. Those who participate at the highest level practice as much as people like Alice, they are gifted, physically, as someone like Alice(I sure as hell don't have the dexterity to play any intrument), and in the end, top level athletes entertain as do people such as Alice.

And I would be remiss if I failed to point out that athletic performances, like Watson's this weekend, are the grist for poets. Here was a man, an old man by the standards of the game, on the brink of glory and joy...and then the gods, for whatever their reasons, frowned, and there was tragedy. And decades into the future those who enjoy the game won't talk about the $700K with which Watson walked away, but the dream of an achievement dashed on the rocky shores of the Firth of Clyde.

well said

i agree up to a point , it takes years to do what tom did , yet tiger did it in how many years , thats not my point , this is , one is a sport the other is art .

To much emphasis is placed on sports ( imo ) in the world to take our minds off of the rug being pulled out from under our feet , yet art will always be there . for it is that which gives release to our souls .

Having been to the Hermitage ( in St. Petersburg , Russia ) i was blown away over 5 million pieces of art work , and the building itself breath taking . Case in point there was a small table , that i thought was ther to put you camera on , when i got closer i saw a drawing of a farm setting with a barn , cows , people etc ., it was all done in chiped rock set on edge that table must of taken years to build .

Bach is ok , me Mozart rules .

As a kid I played a couple of instruments i guess thats the way i lean .

dn

Well, I'm going to go all Alice X on ya now.

I have to point out that many, many serfs died building the Hermitage(and multiply that number by 10? 100? for the number who died building that city), and many more starved to death while the fruits of their labor were used to pay for those works of art.

Haven't been there myself, but if I ever get the money to travel it's on the list behind Istanbul(all that history and architecture!), Vienna and Paris.

yes travel

is well worth the money spent , and when you go to the Hermitage allow at least one week just for the Hermitage , St Petersburg is wonderful , just dont bother to rent a car its like road racing on ice .

Damn what did i do to make ya go all Alice X on me lol .

good point andy

however in my mind there is a difference between an artist and a jock .

Why's that?

They're both entertainers, aren't they?

∆∆∆

No, they are not. In the case of Yo Yo Ma, one is best informed about his abilities and performance if one actually studies the score of the piece before the performance. I do. Music critics do, the good ones will spend an entire week studying the works they are going to critique.

A sport is entirely different, although there might be a tremendous amount of training involved for the athlete. For the audience, one only needs a bare understanding of the principles.

One guy hits the ball farther, straighter than the other guy. One does not need comprehensive preparation on their own to understand it.

User end, Alice. User end.

Are more people watching Tiger Woods or Yo Yo Ma?

It's all a matter of taste, isn't it? If Yo Yo Ma was as big a draw, he'd have been on tv today, live from Scotland, tens of thousands of people there watching him. Guaranteed.

yes....but,

Props to Mr. Watson for his golfing accomplishment. His resigning from a country club however is something else. Mr. Watson remained a member of this club, even though his (now ex)wife is Jewish and his children therefore half-Jewish, until a very prominent person was denied membership (Henry Bloch of H and R Block). Watson belonged to the club for quite a while knowing full well their prejudices. Once the situation became public Watson made his stand. I believe he is once again a member of that country club.

A bit lame, John....

I love you madly, n' love the old-guy-persevering angle.... but this one just is not generating true heat- ya' know?!!

Eh...

Win or lose, Watson, who's always been known as a pretty good liberal in a sea of conservatives, deserves some props. And it was exciting. I watched a lot of it myself the last few days, and I know John did, too.

And, ya know, blogs are diaries that are open to the public read, and John's jotting down his thoughts of the day. Whether or not it generates heat....Well, so what? Maybe the next one will.

C&L sports posts

I dig on John's NFL posts but the PGA's a stretch for me. I'm not big on golf, but I'm good with the Jews and it sounds like he is too, so huzzah to Tom's effort today.

Having never played

does not mean i do not understand the skill it takes to be at this level ( as in any sport ) How many people would just be thrilled to have made to this level , answer anyone .

I do love Robin Williams explaining how golf started .

Can we stop calling Tiger

The greatest athlete of this generation.

It's really a smack in the face to all real athletic competitions.

Golf is like Pool. It's just played on a bigger table.

I never heard Jack Nicklaus being referred to as one of the greatest athletes when he was in his prime.

Golf has it's place. It's just not an athletic competition.

no

Tiger would be good at pretty much any sport he tried.

You?

Base that on what? I don't buy that, in fact the only thing athletic about golf is if they have to walk the course, and that one guy with the leg condition got a waiver for that.

based on...

...his strength (he can bench an obscene amount), his coordination, and his mind. We haven't seen a competitor like him since Michael Jordan.

rub of the green...

Toms approach shot on 18 carried about 2 yards too far. That hole was playing seriously downwind today. Chris Wood hit a 9 iron 210 yards on that hole and thats just insane. Thats the nature of golf though. It bit Tiger in the butt on Friday when he hit it into the high stuff with 100 people standing there and no one found it. The double he made there was the difference in Tigers week as he missed the cut by one. Tom could have used a couple of the short putts he missed today too. Its sad for Tom but Cink played great too. He was 5 under par for his final six holes of the day. It was a great Open as usual. Look for Watson to be in contention again next weekend in British Senior Open and then another major back in US of A the week after. He will get over this.

I think the second shot on 17 was where...

...he started losing it. He'd been putting the ball on the green, in front of the flag all weekend, but today he muscled it beyond. He could have made a birdie, but instead made par.

Really...no Jews?

In 1990? Are there still any clubs that ban blacks or Jews?

MO. still at it in the '90's ???

Watson is a class act. I am astonished about the exclusion of Jews as recently as 1990. What the hell was it like in the school systems there, I wonder. Talk about a serious TIME WARP.

You mean, like that place near Philly that wants to

keep the "complexion" of its swimming pool less, uh, dark?