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From the hearth: Excerpts of recent conversations with Reid Spencer, author of The Sporting News
Presents 50 Greatest Golfers, Ron Garland, author of Golf Nuts, and Martha Burk, writing the
script for a CBS television drama airing next April. (Ms. Burk's comments were made on Oct. 5, 2002,
as a guest on The Golf Show on 1300, The Zone, KVET-AM in Austin, TX, local sportsradio's equivalent
of a $10 table dance, but please don't tell Martha that.)
The Hearthstone Review: Reid, I can't help thinking that there's a very short list, with perhaps ViJay Singh at the top, of those who haven't bought into Tiger. You include comments from other players in an essay on the selection of Tiger as No. 1, this one from Phil Mickelson: "I think the thing about Tiger is that he's the only leader that you don't have the hope that he'll falter." I can't imagine Snead saying that about Hogan, or Player saying that about Palmer. The modern players, it sometimes seems, talk themselves out of dueling Tiger, or at least that was the impression when Tiger was really rolling it. Do you get that impression?
Reid Spencer: Oh, absolutely. That's what Jack Nicklaus was saying, and the other guys who were there in Kansas City for Tom Watson's charity tournament: Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Trevino, and again when we talked to Jack in preparation for the book. He had a lot of comments of how in his era no one would concede anything to anyone and everybody thought that they could win. And basically all of those guys were champions. I think Jack is sort of disappointed in the rest of the field, vis a vis Tiger, because they seem willing to concede a lot to him.
THR: To my mind one reason you can't yet give it to Tiger is the reason that's so compelling in Jack's favor, his longevity.
Reid Spencer: That is certainly a consideration, but I go back, as far as Tiger's concerned, and I consider the three straight Junior Amateur Championships from 91-93; no one else in history has ever won two. I consider the three straight amateurs in the three years following that; no one else has ever done that. And then in terms of the seven-year record as a pro, it's absolutely phenomenal. He's on a pace to shatter Nicklaus's record. He's already well ahead of Nicklaus in terms of the same timing in terms of number of tour victories, number of majors, things like that.
The Hearthstone Review: Ron, you're a strong player and I ask with that in mind. Isn't it that the deeper you get into golf, the deeper the pit?
Ron Garland, founder and head nut of the Golf Nuts Society: The deeper you get into golf, the deeper the hooks are dug into you. And that's when it can really drive you crazy. You were talking about the secret…The secret is a real phenomenon. We all believe to the depths of our soul that we will one day discover the secret. But in our heart of hearts we know there's no such thing. And it's hard to explain that dichotomy but it's true. Every golfer worth his or her salt says, "I've got it." And they're convinced that they'll never have to change their swing for the rest of their lives, but they know three holes later or three days later they'll be doing that.
David Hales, Nut #2156. He slipped and fell on the second tee during a round and he broke his right leg in a fall. But he didn't know he had broken his leg, and he told me later: "It helped me figure out what I was doing wrong." He said, "I've been getting too much weight on my right side on the backswing, but I couldn't do it after I broke my leg and I had my best round in years." Convinced he'd discovered the secret, he talked his doctor into fitting him with a special brace that allowed him to play in his club's member-guest that weekend. That's how nuts these people are.
THR: Was the brace deemed conforming?
Ron Garland: Who knows? He certainly isn't. He conforms to the society but that's about it.
The Hearthstone Review: Is it possible that PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem may be hearing from you in the near future?
Martha Burk: Mr. Finchem has heard from me. And I want your listeners to know that Mr. Finchem is one of the biggest hypocrites in this mix because the PGA Tour has strong, strong policies against having any event at any venues that discriminate on the basis of gender or race.
So what do they do? They create a big loophole for Augusta. They say, "Well, it's not really an official part of the tour but we're going to count it in the official records, and we're going to count the winnings. And the reason they do that is because Augusta does discriminate so they have to create a loophole. And I wrote to Finchem pointing that out and he just basically said, "Well, we have a relationship with them and that's not going to change." And I think that's hypocritical. I think it makes a mockery of the PGA Tour's own policies.
THR: What's your response to those who say that people who are upset with Augusta National should also be upset with Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts?
Martha Burk: I think that's about as silly as it could get. These are not Boy Scouts. These are CEOs of America's largest corporations. You know, Augusta has over 300 members. If anybody wanted to take them to court, which we don't, it's pretty well known - and many cases have been won about this - that once you reach about the 100-member mark you can't claim to just be a few guys getting together any more. As all the golf writers are saying, you know, they make themselves the most public entity on the planet for the Masters, they become public in the most blatant way and they want money and prestige and attention from the public and then they turnaround and say they're a little old private club. That just doesn't add up.
THR: I'm sure this experience has given you a new appreciation of the depth of feeling for the Masters, a Southern rite of spring. I wonder whether you've learned anything about golf from all this.
Martha Burk: Oh, yea, I have. I've learned you can't move the Masters. That was a mistake I learned early on. I said, "You know, why don't they just move it?" Because I didn't know at the time that it wasn't an official PGA [Tour] event and couldn't be moved like all the other tournaments. I actually know the basics of golf.
I played when I was younger - wasn't very good. Tank said I didn't know much about golf. What I didn't know much about was the governance of golf.
THR: Tank McNamara, the comic strip.
Martha Burk: That's right.
THR: It does seem like we're headed in the direction of some accommodation, although what that might be is anybody's guess. What are the best and worst case scenarios as you see them?
Martha Burk: Best case scenario would be that these CEOs that are reportedly working on the inside would be successful and they would announce that they do plan to invite a woman and that they do plan to invite that woman before next year's tournament, and that they would do that.
Worst case is they stonewall. Then they're confronted with picket lines and a general disturbance of their tournament, and the story becomes about that and not about golf.
THR: And where would you say the smart money is at the moment?
Martha Burk: I say the smart money is on getting this thing resolved and moving on.
THR: And the next time the Commission for Responsive Democracy has their next annual golf outing, will you be teeing it up?
Martha Burk: Well, if they…absolutely…they've never had a golf outing.
THR: The Equality Summit doesn't have a golf outing?
Martha Burk: The Equality Summit does not have a golf outing. But if some sponsor wants to lay fifty thou on us to sponsor a golf outing, I'll certainly put one on, and women and men alike will be invited.
© THR, 2003
Talking Points - Edition I - Ron Green
Talking Points - Edition II - Dr. Patrick Cohn
Talking Points - Edition III - Bradley S. Klein
Talking Points - Edition IV - Doug Sanders
Talking Points - Edition V - Curt Sampson
Talking Points - Edition VI - Geoff Shackelford
Talking Points - Edition VII - Bryan Gathright
Talking Points - Edition VIII - Tim Rosaforte, Ray March and Gary Player
Talking Points - Edition IX - Dave Pelz
Talking Points - Edition X - Don Wade
Talking Points - Edition XI - Sidney Matthew
Talking Points - Edition XII - Bud Shrake
Talking Points - Edition XIII - Betsy Rawls
Talking Points - Edition XIV - Roy McCoy, Cliff Rampy and Susan Naylor
Talking Points - Edition XV - Cindy Figg-Currier & Dan O'Neill
Talking Points - Edition XVI - Golf Digest's Pete McDaniel
Talking Points - Edition XVII - Darren Kilfara & Lorne Rubenstein
Talking Points - Edition XVIII - Kaye Kessler
Talking Points - Edition XIX - Frank "Sandy" Tatum
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