The Quail Hollow Championship is done for another year. Congratulations to Kym Hougham, Mac Everett, Johnny Harris, Lee Patterson and everybody involved on doing another outstanding job in hosting the annual tour stop. The tournament is under contract through 2014, which is the second longest committment currently on the PGA Tour. The question as the contract winds down will be whether to extend it, or let it expire with the intent of host a major tournament or Ryder Cup event. Johnny Harris told the Charlotte Business Journal that they will likely let the contract expire in 2014. The next available PGA Championship is not until 2017, and the next open American Ryder Cup venue will not be until 2024, so we've got a little time to dwell on it.
Typically, Sundays are made for Tiger Woods in a red Nike golf shirt making a charge up the leaderboard. He looked the same as far as the red shirt goes, but the putting was well below his usual standard. He drove the green on the short par-4 14th hole, but then proceeded to three-putt from 23 feet out. Tiger says his driving distance is down from what it was pre-surgery, as he currently is ranked 29th in that department on the PGA Tour stats at 293.5 yards. It's something to see Bubba Watson drive in person as I did last week at Quail. He averaged over 331 yards for the tournament, as he and Lucas Glover came within a stroke of Sean O'Hair's winning (-11) total.
The Panthers off-season has been notable for mostly it's lack of real news outside of the changes in the defensive staff. There has been plenty of Julius Peppers speculation with now the San Francisco 49ers as the latest rumor mill team with a pair of first round draft picks next year, thanks to the Panthers trade. That deal to acquire Florida State's Everette Brown in the second round by trading next year's first round pick indicates the Panthers desire to get another speed rusher trained as quickly as possible for whatever the future holds.
Chad Bowar from our news department is a Minnesota Vikings fan and says he will drop them as his team if they sign Brett Favre. I don't have a problem with Favre playing again, my irriation is you can not believe a thing he says. He has retired twice in two years and again said he was definitely not coming back. But here he is meeting with Vikings Coach Brad Childress. I don't know what the Packers did to set him off besides pay him a ton of money and give in to all of his time requests, but he seems to have it out for them and the opportunity to match up two times in the NFC North. While he had his moments with the Jets last season, his clunkers down the stretch run cost New York the playoffs.
Quail Hollow put Charlotte on the international media map last week, and now Michael Phelps and the Ultra Swim meet at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club will do it again next week. Phelps of course will be competing for the first time since his three month suspension following the Beijing Olympics. His likeness on cornflakes boxes were sent by the thousands to feed Third World nations as Kelloggs pulled them off the shelf here. But now he can begin again to repair his reputation following his short-lived fame. Not to worry, Michael Vick, A-Rod and Roger Clemens will make him yesterday's news as the summer heats up.
Brett Favre is someone I'd rather not watch play golf again. There is so much talent and I think someone else should be given a chance. I have been looking at the updates I have been getting off Trackle (http://www.trackle.com/catalog/details/name/Track-PGA-tour/a/150002) and I see there are so many players who deserve more than Favre.
Posted by: Jeremeiah | May 08, 2009 at 03:29 AM