Say hey for Jay

Friday, September 5, 2008
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.

The home town boy did himself proud on Friday.

Jay Williamson, a St. Louisan who is a member of Bellerive Country Club, scored 2-under-par 68 on his home course in the first round and stands tied for 12th after the first round of the 105th Western Open, a.k.a. the BMW Championship.

Williamson didn't want to talk about himself after his round. He beat the drum for the grounds crew who whipped a soggy golf course into shape in less than 24 hours.

"I'm really proud of the people that got this golf course together," Williamson said. "The first putt I hit this morning went 10 feet past the hole on the putting green."

The crowd was similarly enthralled with Williamson. Playing partners John Mallinger and Martin Laird received polite applause for good shots and dropped putts. For Williamson, a hockey game broke out.

"I'm sure the guys I was playing with – they got tired of hearing it," Williamson said. "Like I said, it was great support. I don't know what I expected from the crowd, but they certainly exceeded my expectations today."

The numbers game: Bellerive played just under par on a day with "lift, clean and place" in effect, the field averaging 69.725 strokes on the par-70 layout. Billed as a 7,386 yards test, the course played at 7,294 yards on Friday, PGA Tour officials moving several tees up, especially on the third, 10th and 16th holes. But the fourth hole, listed as a 490-yard par 4, actually played as a 510-yarder, a long slog of a dogleg.

Even moved up to the members tee at 482 yards rather than the advertised 515 yards, the par-4 10th still played toughest, at 4.435 strokes. Then again, it is a par 5 for the members. The day's pushover hole was the par-5 eighth, at 4.551 strokes.

It's the second straight year, and fourth in the last seven, that the field in the Western played the first round under par. Last year was the first under the limited field format of the PGA Tour's playoffs.

Saturday's plan: It's a 36-hole grind, with threesomes off the first and 10th tees and no re-pairing between rounds. On television, NBC covers the action from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with the Golf Channel taking over then and staying at Bellerive until the conclusion. The final threesome of Camilo Villegas, Steve Stricker and Kenny Perry tee off No. 1 at 8:50 a.m. in Round 2, and off No. 10 at 2:20 p.m. in Round 3. If the round lasts about 4 ½ hours, that means a 7:50 p.m. finish.

FYI: Chicagoland representatives Kevin Streelman and Mark Wilson scored 70 and 69, respectively. … John Merrick had the high score on a hole, a quadruple-bogey 8 on the par 3 sixth. A tee shot and third shot into the water, plus a fifth shot finding a bunker, brought on the snowman. … On the plus side, Dean Wilson eagled the par-4 12th hole, holing out from 186 yards distant in the fairway. He scored 1-under 69. … This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first Western Open played in St. Louis. Willie Anderson won the third of his four Western titles at Normandie Country Club in June of 1908. He was the head pro at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest then, but his play prompted members of the St. Louis Country Club to lure him there for the 1909 season. … The gallery estimate of 25,000 totals the number of tickets sold per round in season packages, the only offering the WGA made this year. Saturday and Sunday, the crowds should increase, because fans with Thursday tickets will be able to use them.

– Tim Cronin

Commentary: Major plans for Bellerive

Friday, September 5, 2008
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.

As thrilled as Bellerive Country Club officials have been to host this week's Western Open – or do you call it the BMW Championship? – the word is, they have other ideas about what grand showcase of golf they'll try to lure to their pristine acreage when the gates next open.

Think majors.

Think United States Open.

Think PGA Championship.

Think not? Both majors have been played here in the past – the U.S. Open in 1965, when Hord Hardin was a big wheel at Bellerive, prior to his Augusta National stewardship – and the PGA in 1992. (The U.S. Senior Open also played through in 2004.)

David Fay, executive director of the United States Golf Association, was on hand earlier in the week. Kerry Haigh, the tournament director of the PGA of America, dropped by as well.

They weren't on the premises just to have a burger and a beer.

They were interested in how the Western Golf Association, the PGA Tour, BMW and Bellerive managed to shoehorn a seat of corporate tents and sundry other hospitality into a rather tight footprint, especially by Cog Hill standards. As Thursday's rain continued to fall, they were also interested in the shuttle system WGA tournament director John Kaczkowski and his crew created overnight to replace the oversoaked parking lot adjacent to the course. It ran flawlessly, and plans called for double the number of buses for the weekend.

The USGA and the PGA don't take their cash-cow majors just anywhere. They go where they can put on a good show on a testing golf course.

Bellerive certainly fits the latter profile. Even with dartboard-soft greens and "lift, clean and place" in effect in the fairways, the day's low score was only the 5-under-par 65 fashioned by Camilo Villegas, matching the record established by Jeff Maggert in the 1992 PGA Championship.

The question is, is there enough room for Bellerive to host a full-scale major these days? Even compared to 1992, there's more corporate hospitality sold and more room needed for television – NBC's TV compound is across Ladue Rd., in the parking lot of a church – and most everything else associated with big-time tournament golf.

If the answer by one or the other is, "Yes, Bellerive is for us," that likely eliminates St. Louis as a stop in the Western's rotation, assuming that the entire FedEx Cup concept and BMW's sponsorship continues past the six years of the current contract, which ends in 2012. That's when the Western is played at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., after being played the next three years at Cog Hill.

The U.S. Open calendar is filled through 2015, when the new Chambers Bay Golf Club, near Seattle, will get the big show. The PGA is also locked in through 2015, except for 2014. So any potential Open or PGA at Bellerive would be a long way off, but the payoff in prestige would be huge, much bigger than a tournament with an automaker's name attached to it.

Bellerive took this year's Western because the club has a long association with the WGA, especially on the Evans Scholars Foundation side. E.J. "Dutch" Harrison won the 1953 Western at Bellerive's previous site – something likely unknown to the corporate folks who bought into the Dutch Harrison Suites for $150,000 each – and the club has been a solid contributor to the WGA's Par Club for decades. But once apparently will be enough.

And had it been some group other than the WGA running a tournament with BMW's name on it, the club might well have said, "No thanks," as Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn., did when it was approached by the WGA and PGA Tour to be part of the rotation. Hazeltine, another course which has hosted the U.S. Open and PGA, only wants majors on its property. Next up at Hazeltine: the 2016 Ryder Cup.

The potential elimination of Bellerive as a rotation host bodes well for Chicago, of course, and even better for Cog Hill, where the Western has been very much at home since 1991. This is a strange week at Cog, with the Western being played about 300 miles away, and a strange year in Chicago, which last was bypassed by the big circuit in 1960.

Meanwhile, they love the Western Open at Bellerive, no matter what the name. This year, at least.

– Tim Cronin

Hurricane Camilo visits Bellerive

Friday, September 5, 2008
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.

Camilo Villegas said Friday the soggy conditions at Bellerive Country Club didn't preclude his doing his Spiderman routine, dropping to the ground and balancing as if on the edge of a building, when he lines up putts.

"Same thing," Villegas said of his unorthodox procedure. "It's laundry."

Villegas covered Bellerive like a wet blanket, clearning up with 5-under-par 65 to match the competitive course record and take a one-stroke lead after the storm-delayed first round of the 105th Western Open Championship. Right behind him in the second Western to have the BMW Championship sobriquet attached to it are a quintet of familiar faces, including 1996 Western Open winner Steve Stricker, Stuart Appleby, and Kenny Perry.

Tim Clark and Dudley Hart, whose bogey-free round was the only one of the day, were among the crowd at 3-under 67, while Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia led the contingent at 2-under 68. Padraig Harrington and Trevor Immelman, the winners of the three majors who are on hand this week, both settled for 1-under 69.

All of which adds up to this: The Western Open is just beginning. Villegas will sleep Friday night, but may not sleep comfortably, given the pedigree of those chasing him, and surely will not sleep for long. Saturday will bring a 36-hole grind, the second and third rounds jammed into the day's schedule thanks to Thursday's rainout.

"If you've got to play 36 holes, you've got to play 36 holes," Villegas said.

For what it's worth, Villegas started with a 65 last year at Cog Hill, which earned him a tie for second behind Jonathan Byrd after 18 holes. Villegas finished tied for seventh. Perhaps that's why he didn't sound all that excited, except when describing a string of four birdies in as many holes on the front nine. That moved him to 5-under through eight holes, and he got to 6-under with a 24-foot putt on the par-3 16th before surrendering a stroke thanks to a pushed approach and pushed par-saving putt on the par-4 18th.

Villegas tied for third last week in Boston. Stricker tied for 13th, having gotten back into a groove he really hadn't seen since last year's PGA Tour playoff tournaments. That groove comes just in time for the Ryder Cup, which is a fortnight away.

"What can I say," Stricker said. "It's playoffs."

And he's on the U.S. PGA team, a pick of team captain Paul Azinger earlier this week. That's even bigger.

"Today, I was relaxed," Stricker admitted after finishing his round by holing a 36-foot birdie putt. "It was a lot easier to play. I was trying to get that Ryder Cup process over with. I was gearing up all year for (that). It would have been a big disappointment if I hadn't made the team."

There was little doubt that Azinger wasn't going to pick Stricker, given his position at No. 8 in the world ranking.

For Stricker, then, this Western is something of a tuneup for the showdown at Valhalla in a fortnight.

For Mickelson and Els, second and seventh in the world ranking respectively, it's an opportunity to make a statement. Mickelson hasn't been heard from since making a 9 in the U.S. Open, and Els, while he finished third in Boston, has had a quiet year for someone who won the Honda Classic and posted top-10 finishes at the Players Championship and the Open Championship.

The course was in remarkably fine shape, with spectator areas devoid of puddles, and only a few mushy spots. Considering 3.10 inches of rain fell from Wednesday night through Thursday, as measured at nearby Lambert Field, and there was still drizzle Friday until just before the first groups teed off, the conditions were exceptional. The $9.5 million invested in reconstruction in 2006 paid off.

As impressive as the footing after a record one-day drenching for a Western Open site was the number of feet taking advantage. Golf-starved St. Louis fans turned out early and in large numbers, given the number of tickets sold, for the first round. Fans poured out of the first busses to reach the spectator gate at 10 a.m., when the course opened, and they kept coming. Most, if not all, of the 25,000 ticket holders turned out.

For a moment or two, so did the sun. As one spectator said after Padraig Harrington teed off on No. 1, starting the festivities, "What's that?"

Harrington's day went well enough for someone who needs to move up 14 places in the PGA Tour point standings to advance to the Tour Championship in three weeks. He went around Bellerive's front side in even par 35, then toured the back in 1-under 34 for a 1-under 69. Nothing fancy, but nothing harmful, either.

Contrast that with the 6-over 76s turned in by John Merrick and Charlie Wi. On a virtually windless day when a pro could put his hand on the ball, they had to feel like they shot a million.

Saturday may be different. With the sun finally coming out for good in the late afternoon Friday, the course will be drier, the ball will likely be played down, and the 36-hole grind may take a toll on those less fit than the likes of the trim Villegas.

Then again, Tim Herron is among those tied for second. The course may be drier, but that doesn't mean things won't get Lumpy.

– Tim Cronin

Finally, golf at Bellerive

Friday, September 5, 2008
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.

With persistent drizzle finally exiting, and the sun straining to break through the overcast, the 105th Western Open – played under the moniker of the BMW Championship – got underway at Bellerive Country Club this morning.

Or, as St. Louis favorite Harry Caray would have said, "There will be golf!"

Padraig Harrington had the honor of driving the first ball off the first tee, hit the fairway, hit the green with his approach, and two-putted for par. The winner of the Open Championship and the PGA – and three of the last six majors, a Tigeresque achievement – is in a six-way tie for the lead at even par in the very early going.

The real question today is, how low will the field go? Because of the soggy conditions occasioned by the downpours dumped by the leftovers of Hurricane Gustav, PGA Tour officials opted for "lift, clean and place," giving the 69-player field preferred lies in the fairways. Let a pro get the ball in his hand, and magical things can happen. The course record of 5-under-par 65, established by Jeff Maggert in the 1992 PGA Championship, is in jeopardy.

A large crowd was on hand for the start, the golf feeding the need of St. Louis links fans to see big-time tournament play up close for the first time since that PGA. The 2001 American Express World Golf Championship at Bellerive was cancelled soon after the September 11 attacks on Tuesday of tournament week. Since then, only senior golf, including the 2004 U.S. Senior Open at Bellerive, has been played in the metropolitan area.

The turnout, expected to top out at 25,000, was strong even though the main parking lot at Hunter Farms, adjacent to the course, was closed because of Thursday's deluge. Fans parked at an outdoor music center and were shuttled over.

Updates as events demand; a full report after play concludes.

– Tim Cronin

Commentary: The Ryder Cup also runneth over

Thursday, September 4, 2008
Writing from Town and Country, Mo.

Eventually, the 105th Western Open, being played for the second year under the banner of the BMW Championship, will be started and finished. Then the attention of the golf world – which isn't exactly on Bellerive Country Club this week, if the half-full press tent is any indication – will be turned on the Ryder Cup.

That's down the highway near Louisville in two weeks, after the PGA Tour does absolutely nothing next week. That will allow the players to recover after the task of playing 72 hours in three days here, give Kentucky native Kenny Perry a few days to buy more tickets, plus allow the pressure to percolate in the heads of the 24 players.

The U.S. PGA side has six rookies on a team that will try to break a streak of three straight losses, the last two by wide margins. The European PGA side has a quartet of newcomers trying to ride a wave that has seen the Euros win five of the last six cups. The "What if?" scenarios have been replaced by "Who's he?" Soren Hansen of Denmark may need his passport to walk onto the first tee.

Hunter Mahan, better known here but almost as unknown in Europe as Hansen is here, is one of the new kids on the American block. He may be one of the few players who is rational enough to realize that having teammates doesn’t mean that you have to everything for them, but can also rely on them as well. Strength in numbers, so to speak.

"It's just you against the two guys or the one guy you've got in front of you (in a match), and I think that's so neat," Mahan said as rain pelted Bellerive. "You don't have to worry about the field. You can just play one hole at a time and just play aggressively and just have fun at it."

Mahan played in the Junior Ryder Cup at The Country Club in 1999, then hung around to see the U.S. PGA team author the "I've got a feeling" comeback captained by Ben Crenshaw. He's also played in the President's Cup, the PGA Tour-knockoff of the Ryder Cup that substitutes the rest of the world for Europe.

"The President's Cup was amazing; it was great," Mahan said. "But I think it's pretty obvious the Ryder Cup is amped up a little bit more. There's so much more history. It's a little bit more of a rivalry now, since they've whupped us the last few years.

"Just watch the reactions when it's over. Guys are chugging champagne, they're spraying everybody, and you can see in their faces how much it meant for them to win."

Mahan, Steve Stricker, J.B. Holmes and Chad Campbell were the picks of U.S. captain Paul Azinger. Stricker, for all his accomplishments, is also a Ryder Cup rookie.

"I think it's going to be good that there are some guys that haven't been there, haven't experienced the losses of previous Ryder Cups," Stricker said. "We'll be the underdogs, which is fine. It should take some of the pressure off us."

Perhaps not. Padraig Harrington, having gone through it as a rookie and a veteran, sees it differently.

"As a rookie, you've got to play well Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday," Harrington said. "I know my first time, in Boston, I played really well on Tuesday and Wednesday, and when Mark James selected the team, I wasn't starting (Friday). It was only on Thursday, Ollie (Jose-Maria Olazabal) felt he wouldn't be up for the foursomes that I got put in.

"But I got put in because I played so well (in practice). Certainly, for the rookies, the competition starts early. They've got to prove themselves."

There's one other thing, Harrington said. The first tee.

"I know the first shot I hit in the Ryder Cup, I couldn't see the golf ball," he said. "I was just so nervous I couldn't even see it. You've got to expect that in your first Ryder Cup. It was the same as when I played in the Walker Cup (in 1991)."

Harrington noted something else that made complete sense.

"In a given week, you're only watching the guys who have played well going into the last round," he said. "In the Ryder Cup, guys are asked to play well cold. Most players are doing well if they (play their best) one in three weeks, and all of a sudden they'll be thrown into a week where they're expected to be like they were leading a tournament, where they don't necessarily have the confidence of having played the first 71 holes to be feeling like that.

"It's definitely a harder tournament to manage the pressure. You're kind of thrown in at the deep end."

Don't tell that to Mahan. He doesn't know any better. Yet. Eventually, he'll be introduced as representing the United States, and he won't be able to breathe.

- Tim Cronin