Ban on anchoring announced, begins 2016

As expected, the USGA and R&A announced Wednesday that anchored strokes will no longer be allowed in golf effective Jan. 1, 2016.
The 20-word rule change means the end of anchoring belly putters and long putters to the body in the way PGA Tour players Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley and others have done.
The rule does not outlaw the use of long putters, only prohibits how they are used.
“We believe a player should hold the club away from his body and swing it freely,” USGA executive director Mike Davis said.
The rules change came as a result of what Davis called a growing “advocacy” among players and instructors for the use of anchored putting strokes. Through 2010, Davis said approximately six percent of PGA Tour players used anchored putting strokes. That percentage jumped to 15 percent in 2012.
“For years, it was seen as a last resort,” Davis said. “We are seeing that golfers no longer see it as a stroke of last resort.”
Simpson, who won the U.S. Open using a belly putter last June, said this week that he plans to make the switch to a traditional putter in the future. He said expected the rules change and has been using a regular-length putter when he’s playing with his friends at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.

End of belly and long putters coming Wednesday?

The USGA and R & A have scheduled an international media teleconference for Wednesday morning when they're expected to announce that anchoring putters -- or any other club -- to your body will no longer be allowed under the rules of golf, effective 2016.

The hints and rumors have been out there for a while that the days of Webb Simpson sticking the grip end of a putter into his navel or Adam Scott resting one end of his broomstick putter against his sternum are coming to an end.

The teleconference is expected to make it quasi-official. It will become officially official next year when both of golf's ruling parties hold their official meetings and then the ban will go into effect in 2016.

It seems unlikely there would be a global teleconference to announce the rules aren't changing.

Rules changes in golf -- like presidential elections -- happen only every four years. Golf doesn't like to rush into things, though it has fast-tracked the expected anchoring ban since officials said a year ago they didn't see it as a big problem.

Then Keegan Bradley and Simpson and Ernie Els won majors using their particular versions of anchored putters. Els has longed believed anchored putting should be banned but made the switch himself, saying half-jokingly that he would continue to cheat as long as it was allowed.

When approximately 30 percent of the players in the Open Championship last summer were anchoring putters, the old guard went into action even before 14-year old Guan Tianlang won the Asia-Pacific Amateur and a spot in the Masters using a belly putter.

Too bad they didn't do something about the golf ball and/or modern drivers, which have done more damage to the game than anchored putting might ever do. Instead, they are "modernizing" the Old Course, a shiver-inducing thought that more aggressive action against technology could have prevented.

If a ban on anchoring is enacted, there will come threats of lawsuits. However, if reports are accurate, belly putters and long putters are not being outlawed in golf. They can be used but they may not be anchored against the body.

A ban would not put an asterisk beside the majors won by Simpson and others. They won playing by the rules just as Bobby Jones won some of his major championships using clubs that were later deemed illegal.

Putting is a dark science which explains the curious implements and methods used by golfers tortured by the act of rolling a ball into a hole. It has driven men mad and will continue to do so.

I've always believed if you could putt with a push broom then do it. But I also think putting should require a stroke similar to what a full shot does. Anchoring a putter is a way to eliminate unwanted movement -- the kind nerves cause, particularly under pressure.

Defenders of anchored putting point out that no player in the top 10 in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour uses an anchored putter, arguing that if it's so great, everyone would do it. It's a fair point. It's not for everyone.

But there has been a sense that young players are learning the game with anchored putters, Tianlang's milestone victory being a dramatic example. Within a generation, the fundamentals of putting could change.

With a ban on anchoring coming, that won't happen.

Now, if they could just do something to eliminate the 200-yard 7-iron.

McIlroy does it with style

   Of all the many gifts Rory McIlroy possesses, style may be his most endearing.
   The walk, the smile, the swing.
   And the way he can finish a golf tournament.
   McIlroy ended his 2012 season Sunday in Dubai with five straight birdies to win the Dubai World Championship, capping a season that included five victories including the PGA Championship and the money title on both the European and PGA Tours.
   When he holed his final birdie putt Sunday, McIlroy stood in the sunshine with his arms spread, soaking in the moment. He earned it and he has a way of pulling us in to him.
   McIlroy is the new face of golf. He's the best player in the world and there's no reason to think he won't remain there for a long time to come. The Masters is five months away and he'll be the player to beat when the azaleas bloom again.
   In 2012, McIlroy made the leap that the great ones make and he did it with style.

Wells Fargo Championship donates $1.3 million to local charities

   The Wells Fargo Championship has announced it donated $1.3 million to area charities this year, bringing its cumulative total to $14.8 million donated since the tournament's inception in 2003.
   Charlotte's Teach For America chapter received $600,000 from Champions For Education, the non-profit organization that manages and operates the Wells Fargo Championship.
   Other donations were made to Levine's Children's Hospital, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg YMCA, The First Tee of Charlotte and other organizations that provided support to the tournament.
   "The positive impact we are able to make in Charlotte and around the region is a direct result of the efforts of people who are willing to share their time and energy," Kym Hougham, executive director of the Wells Fargo Championship, said in a statement.
   "With the support of Wells Fargo, our corporate partners, volunteers and loyal fans, we are humbled by the positive impact we can have on Charlotte-area organizations and nonprofits."

TGA Premier Junior Golf aimed at young golfers

  One of the enduring challenges for golf is bringing young people into the game.

   Champ Detamore is working to get more kids involved in the Charlotte area.

   Detamore oversees the local TGA Premier Junior Golf chapter, a national program designed to bring golf to kids at schools, churches and other organizations. His group works at more than 50 area sites, including a summer program at the Harris YMCA and a program at Camp Thunderbird next summer, Detamore said.

   It's targeted at kindergarten to eighth grade kids and while it's different from the national First Tee initiative, the overall goal is similar -- increasing the number of youngsters who play.

   "We're the entry level," said Detamore, director of the local program.

   Locally, Detamore said the TGA program has reached more than 8,000 youngsters. It's not free -- registration is $99 for a six-week session -- but Detamore feels the programs are making progress.

   "We've made a lot of progress, Detamore said. "The First Tee is primarily facility-based. We go to where the students are and eliminate the transportation barrier. We get them at their schools and bridge the gap to the golf course."

   For more information on the TGA programs, visit www.tgacharlotte.com.

Carmel CC to honor college-bound golfers

 Seven junior golfers from Carmel Country Club will be honored by the club next week after earning college scholarships.

  Davis and Austin Morrision will attend William and Mary, Andy Simmons will attend Davidson, Philip Oweida will attend High Point University, William Rainey will attend the College of Charleston, Keegan Hoff will attend Richmond and Davis Bateman will attend North Carolina.

   Bateman is the 2012 Joe Cheves Junior champion as well as NCISAA state champion; Davis Morrision is an HP scholastic All-American; Austin Morrison played for the U.S. team in the North American Cup; Andy Simmons was named south Charlotte player of the year; Oweida won the 2011 Golf Pride Tarheel Junior; Rainey was a three-time all-conference golfer; and, Hoff had four top-10 finishes in 2012.

Masters field will include 14-year old champion

 Think about what you were doing when you were 14 years old.

   Could you have handled playing in the Masters?

   Guan Tianlang, a 14-year old, won the Asia-Pacific Amateur championship Sunday and with it a spot in the 2013 Masters. 

    Tianlang will be the youngest player ever to tee it up in the Masters, almost two years younger than Matteo Manassero was when he played as a 16-year old in 2010.

   Playing in Chonburi, Thailand, the Chinese teenager made a five-foot putt on the 72nd hole to seal his one-stroke victory, adding to his already impressive accomplishments. Tianlang was already the youngest winner of the China Amateur Open and the youngest player to ever compete in a European Tour event.

   When Masters officials took the lead in creating the Asia-Pacific Amateur, they did it with the intent of expanding golf's popularity in the Pacific Rim. Tianlang's victory and the subsequent attention that will come with his participation in the Masters next spring no doubt put a big smile on the face of Augusta National chairman Billy Payne.

Cheers to the Pine Crest Inn turning 100

PINEHURST -- They're going to raise a glass this evening in honor of the Pine Crest Inn, where glasses, voices and spirits have been raised for a century now.

   The Inn opened for business on Nov. 1, 1913 and the owners, guests and golf romantics will spend the next year celebrating a place that would have a plaque in the World Golf Hall of Fame if the shrine included a corner for pork chops, cold beer and good times.

   There's a program tonight featuring remarks by the mayor, a historian and assorted other guests. There's also been talk of a small parade in front of the gray stone building but nothing fancy because one of the Pine Crest's great charms is its lack of pretension.

   If you've ever made a golf trip to Pinehurst, chances are you're familiar with the Pine Crest. It sits tucked a wedge shot away from the village's main street, down a soft sloping road, framed by old trees and gravel parking lots that fill up every evening when the golf is done and the recovery begins.

    Its entrance -- a dark green awning that leads guests from the street to the long front porch filled with white rocking chairs, couches and an orange cat named Marmaduke -- is as recognizable to many as photos of the 18th hole at Pebble Beach. 

   Step inside and it's not much different than it was 100 years ago when Mrs. E.C. Bliss of Edgewood, R.I., opened the Pine Crest. The ceilings are low, the floors are gently uneven in spots and the stairway to the second floor creaks.

    The Pine Crest Inn is not ultra-modern or part of a chain or terribly expensive. Instead, it's comfortable like your own den. It's a place where people running the place know their guests names and they take pride in making them feel at ease.

   The carpet is soft like a fluffy lie in a fairway and the lobby area is filled with glass cases stuffed with fading mementoes of days and people gone by. A bulletin board holds dozens of snapshots pinned to the wall, most of them showing groups of golfers with laughter in their eyes sitting around dinner tables in the restaurant.

   This is where Payne Stewart came on the Sunday night before he won the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 one week later. He scrawled his autograph on a bathroom wall that evening and before it faded away completely, a copy of Stewart's signature was made and now sits framed not far from the front desk.

  Arnold Palmer has stayed at the Pine Crest. So has Jack Nicklaus, who stayed there in 1985 when his son, Jack II, won the North and South Amateur, a week the Golden Bear calls "one of the highlights of my life."

   The Pine Crest is a place where history lives. Legendary course designer Donald Ross, the first professional at Pinehurst Country Club, purchased the Inn in 1921, added the east wing and owned it until his death in 1948.

   It was later purchased by New York hotelier Carl Moser then the Barrett family, which still owns the Pine Crest, bought it in 1961.

   A painting of Ross hangs above the fireplace in the lobby where he can watch guests attempt to chip golf balls into the fireplace. A pro named Lionel Callaway gave lessons in the lobby many years ago and now there's a plywood board covered in artificial turf that sits in front of the fireplace, a hole in the center the target.

   A handful of clubs lean against a column in the lobby and there are golf balls on the floor near the fireplace. There are varying stories about who's made the most consecutive chip shots, the numbers often influenced by how much time the storyteller has spent in Mr. B's bar just off the lobby. 

   Peter Barrett, one of the owners, says he held the record of 22 in a row until a red-headed left-hander playing in the North and South junior made 23 last year.

   The restaurant is known for its 22-ounce pork chop, created by chef Carl Jackson years ago. It's as big as a Sunday roast and as much a part of the village life as the chancel bells that ring on the hour. 

   At night, the bar comes alive and on weekends there is music in the lobby, the crowd and the noise often spilling onto the porch and into the darkness. John Maginnes, the former PGA Tour player turned golf commentator, calls the Pine Crest bar his favorite place to have a beer in North America and he's not alone.

   For a century, golfers have come to the Pine Crest for a bed and breakfast and the feeling that comes with being there. 

   It's in the gentle give in the old floors and the sound of golf talk in the lobby. It's the thump of another chip shot being pitched toward the fireplace and the smell of dinner drifting out of the dining room. It's seeing the cat curled up on a front porch couch in the afternoon and it's bumping into an old friend in the bar.

   It's a place worth celebrating.

   Cheers.

   

Payne Stewart, 13 years later

   It was 13 years ago today, Oct. 25, 1999, that Payne Stewart died.
   It's still a sad thought.
   That June we saw Stewart win the U.S. Open in the misty gloom at Pinehurst, punching his fist into the air after making his par putt on the 18th green then framing Phil Mickelson's face in his hands and telling him how great it was Mickelson was about to become a father for the first time.
  That September, we saw Stewart spraying champagne on balcony of the clubhouse at The Country Club after the American team's dramatic rally to win the Ryder Cup. His teammates tell stories of him playing the piano and partying in his red, white and blue pajamas deep into that evening.
   And then Stewart was gone.
   Too soon.
   He would have been a Ryder Cup captain one year, perhaps this year, and maybe the European rally wouldn't have happened like it did at Medinah. If it had, Stewart would have still reveled in what the Ryder Cup represented.
   They built a statue honoring Stewart and it sits behind the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2, reminding us of the man and the moment.
   Neither will soon be forgotten.

Diamond Creek has new owner

   Diamond Creek Golf Club, which sits just outside Banner Elk amid a cluster of top-shelf private golf clubs, has been sold.
   Houston businessman Dan Friedkin, a club member, announced Thursday he has purchased the club from Florida businessman H. Wayne Huizenga, who founded the club in 2003 with golf professional John McNeely.
   Diamond Creek, part of a private, gated community, was designed by Tom Fazio and is popular with Charlotte area golfers.
   "We are thrilled to announce the purchase and I am grateful to Wayne for founding this exceptional club and laying a robust foundation for its growth. As stewards of the club, we will invest in Diamond Creek, seeking to create the ultimate exclusive golf retreat for our distinguished membership," Friedken said in a statement.

Phil takes a shot at $1 million

If you haven't seen video of Phil Mickelson's 100-yard shot for a potential $1-million charity prize last night, there's a link below.
Not to blow the drama but if you're thinking he hit the bull's eye, well...
http://bit.ly/WuTWhb

Halftime show: Mickelson hits shot for $1 million

  Phil Mickelson is the halftime entertainment tonight during the San Diego Chargers-Denver Broncos game and he may win $1 million for charity tonight.

   Mickelson will hit a 100-yard shot at halftime toward targets with a variety of prizes to be awarded by his sponsor KPMG. Depending on which target Mickelson hits -- he's really good with a wedge -- it could be worth $1 million or 400,000 books.

   The shot will be from one end zone in Qualcomm Stadium to the opposite end zone and you can believe Mickelson will make it fun to watch.

Time to shake up US Ryder Cup captaincy

Given the events of last Sunday -- and almost every other Ryder Cup played over the past 20 years -- it seems a fair time to reconsider how the PGA of America chooses the American captain.
That's not to suggest Davis Love III was responsible for the Europeans' dramatic victory. Point that finger at Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and the others who played the golf that gave Europe its most dramatic victory.
Love had a plan, stuck with it and for two of the three days, it worked beautifully. Then Europe found its heartbeat and its putting stroke and everything changed.
Now the question is who will captain the U.S. team in Gleneagles, Scotland in two years.
If you follow the general outline, do the math and factor in the personalities, David Toms' name keeps popping up. He won a major and a handful of other events, has Ryder Cup experience and is a well-regarded gentleman.
There's a feeling it's Toms turn just as it was Corey Pavin's turn two years ago.
But the PGA of America should shake it up. Nothing against Toms but if another crushing loss isn't reason enough to step at least gently outside the box, what is?
The popular choice to be the next captain is Fred Couples, who has led the U.S. to two Presidents Cup victories and will captain a third team next fall when the matches are played at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Couples should get the job.
Why would being Presidents Cup captain disqualify him? It shouldn't.
Most people, including Couples, will be surprised if he gets the Ryder Cup call. It's as if you can do one or the other, the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup. Couples would be the first to tell you the Presidents Cup isn't on the same level as the Ryder Cup, though PGA Tour officials don't like to hear that.
But he's doing something right.
Others have suggested the PGA of America make a dramatic move and break with the unofficial formula for selecting a captain. It's worth considering.
It's not too late to ask Larry Nelson to be captain. He got shafted out of it before and while he's not a contemporary of today's PGA Tour players, he would have their respect. He could also hire younger assistants to help him.
Or bring back Paul Azinger. He'd love to do it again and he'd do it well.
Someone suggested Butch Harmon. Interesting idea.
That's what the PGA of America needs -- interesting ideas. It's time to change the formula.

Ryder Cup: The good, the bad, the ugly

   A few observations from the Ryder Cup while European fans are still singing 'Ole, Ole, Ole' outside the media center here at Medinah:

   -- It was impossible not to feel good for European captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who doesn't show much outward emotion but simmers inside. It was apparent how badly he wanted to win the Cup for Europe and to pay one last tribute to Seve Ballesteros. He got it in the most unlikely way.

  -- U.S. captain Davis Love III stuck to his plan of not playing any one more than four matches. It worked beautifully for two days. Sunday, however, was a disaster.

   "I'm sure there are a lot of great plans that sound really good the night before a game starts and then there's a fumble or a turnover or something happens and it doesn't work," Love said. "What happened (Sunday) is they played a little better than us."

   Yes, they did. The problem was the Americans needed to make them play even better and they didn't do it.

   -- What were the odds Sunday morning of Martin Kaymer scoring the Cup-clinching point? 

   No one would have taken those odds.

  -- Five players scored three points for the U.S. team: Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson and Dustin Johnson. Only Dustin Johnson won every match he played.

   Ian Poulter was the only unbeaten European, going 4-0. Of course he did.

   Tiger Woods won half a point. Steve Stricker got blanked.

   -- It was awkward having Woods and Francesco Molinari finish their singles match after the Ryder Cup had been decided. There was an enormous greenside celebration going on while they were playing the 18th hole. Finally, Woods conceded a putt to Molinari that made the final match a draw. It changed the final score from 14-14 to 14 1/2 to 13 1/2. At that point, Woods said, the final score didn't matter.

   He was right.

The Sunday pairings -- how they came to be

There's no great science that goes into setting the singles pairing for Sunday at the Ryder Cup.

   Or, if there is, it's strictly classified.

   U.S. captain Davis Love III said he and his four assistant captains sat down on the porch at Medinah early Saturday evening and put 12 guys in order after getting input from the seven or eight who hadn't already returned to the team hotel.

   Look at the American lineup and it makes sense.

   Bubba Watson then Webb Simpson then Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson.

   Bubba likes to play fast. Webb likes to be near Bubba. Bradley has been brilliant and Mickelson has too.

   Steve Stricker goes 11th and Tiger Woods goes last in case it comes down to that, which is almost certainly won't. Love said he wanted stability at the back of the lineup. Tiger against Francesco Molinari looks pretty stable.

   On the other side, Europe's Jose Maria Olazabal did the only thing he could do -- he front-loaded his lineup. Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose got out first. If Europe doesn't win early, it has no chance to win at all. That's what captain Ben Crenshaw taught everyone at Brookline, Mass., 13 years ago.

   The early matches look intriguing. Watson and Donald couldn't be more different personalities. Simpson gets Poulter's fire. Bradley and McIlroy has become the match we thought Woods-McIlroy would be when the week began.

   If the Americans continue to play as they have, they'll win the Ryder Cup comfortably. That's what I expect will happen Sunday.

  

  THE SUNDAY PAIRINGS

  12:03 p.m.: Bubba Watson-Luke Donald

  12:14: Webb Simpson-Ian Poulter

  12:25: Keegan Bradley-Rory McIlroy

  12:36: Phil Mickelson-Justin Rose

  12:47: Brandt Snedeker-Paul Lawrie

  12:58: Dustin Johnson-Nicolas Colsaerts

   1:09: Zach Johnson-Graeme McDowell

   1:20: Jim Furyk-Sergio Garcia

   1:31: Jason Dufner-Peter Hanson

   1:42: Matt Kuchar-Lee Westwood

   1:53: Steve Stricker-Martin Kaymer

   2:04: Tiger Woods-Francesco Molinari

Mickelson/Bradley help U.S. extend lead

  With another spectacular performance by Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, the U.S. team moved out to a dominating 8-4 lead after the morning session of the Ryder Cup Saturday at Medinah.

   With a strong afternoon in the four-ball matches, the American side could set itself up to close out Ryder Cup early in singles on Sunday. Captain Davis Love III decided to rest the Mickelson-Bradley pairing in the afternoon, sticking to his plan of not having any golfers play in all five sessions.

   The Mickelson-Bradley pairing, which won both matches Friday, crushed the Lee Westwood-Luke Donald team 7&6 in foursomes play, setting the tone in the morning.

   "We've had so much fun," Bradley said. "The crowd has provided so much energy and it's brought out our best golf."

   The U.S. also picked up foursomes victories from Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson 2&1 over Nicolas Colsaets and Sergio Garcia and a 1-up victory by Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker over Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell.

   The lone American loss was suffered by Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson, who fell 1-up to Ian Poulter and Justin Rose. Simpson had a nine-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to square the match but missed.

   The afternoon four-ball pairings are:

   Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar vs. Nicolas Colsaerts/Paul Lawrie

   Bubba Watson/Webb Simpson vs. Justin Rose/Francesco Molinari

   Tiger Woods/Steve Stricker vs. Sergio Garcia/Luke Donald

   Jason Dufner/Luke Donald vs. Rory McIlroy/Ian Poulter.

On the first tee at the Ryder Cup

   It was chilly enough to see your breath this morning on the first tee at Medinah but with the Ryder Cup starting, it was the hottest place in golf.

  Framed by steep, overstuffed grandstands, the Ryder Cup began as only it can -- with photo ops, singing and nerves.

   Before the first players had arrived at the tee, American fans were singing 'America, the Beautiful' and European fans were answering with 'Ole, Ole, Ole.' Shortly before Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker made the walk over from the practice putting green, a worker was tossing American flags to fans. It was too early to say whether the fact many of the flags were accidentally dropped on the ground was a good or bad omen for the home side.

   When it came time for Graeme McDowell to hit the opening tee shot, the place went dead silent but for the distant whistle of a train. Then the noise returned.

   When Ryder Cup rookie Keegan Bradley ripped his tee shot down the middle, he waited a beat for teammate Phil Mickelson to catch up to him and they slapped hands.

   Before the final match began, Michael Jordan arrived on the tee, shaking hands, posing for pictures and being Michael Jordan in Chicago.

   Europe's Ian Poulter arrived at the tee with black and lime-colored shoes to match the team outfit for the day. After hitting his tee shot on the opening hole, Poulter snatched his tee from the ground like a theatrical rip.

   Tiger Woods followed with a big hook that left his partner, Steve Stricker, in trouble. 

   It was just past 8 a.m. on a cool fall morning in Chicago. A beautiful start.

Who wins this Ryder Cup?

 Now that Justin Timberlake's unfortunate recitation of a golf poem at the opening ceremony is behind us, we can get on with the Ryder Cup.

   I'm saying the U.S. wins this time.

   If you've ever seen my NFL predictions or studied my choice of stocks, you understand this isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. Still, I think the Americans are going to win the Ryder Cup.

   It's happened. 

   Maybe you remember 2008 and 1999. From there, it gets a little fuzzy.

   Six months ago, I'd have told you the European team was a heavy favorite. They haven't gotten worse. In fact, Martin Kaymer has shown signs of having rediscovered a bit of his lost magic in recent weeks.

   But the American side has filled in nicely. Tiger is ready. Brandt Snedeker is coming off an $11-million weekend. Jason Dufner has great hair.

   This is my fifth Ryder Cup and for the longest time I wondered if I'd ever see the U.S. win. We got beat in England, got waxed at Oakland Hills and got double-waxed at the K Club in Ireland. Then Paul Azinger put the pieces together four years ago at Valhalla where I finally saw an American champagne celebration.

   I didn't go to Wales so that one can't be blamed on me.

   I see Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. I see Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia. I see Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter and all the other Europeans. 

   But I see this Ryder Cup 15-13 for the U.S.

Kuchar U.S. team leader -- in table tennis

  The first official golf balls won't be in the air at the Ryder Cup until 8:20 a.m. Charlotte time Friday but ping pong balls have been clattering around the U.S. team room as usual.

   There are three tables, part of what has become an American Ryder Cup tradition, and it sounds as if there's a clear winner among the U.S. players.

   Matt Kuchar.

   "I think it's clear that Matt Kuchar is the best," Webb Simpson said. "Phil Mickelson is not quite ready to admit it. I think he's in denial. But he's pretty good."

   Kuchar proclaimed himself the best.  He called himself a "one or two handicap" in table tennis. That doesn't make him world class but it makes him good enough at Medinah.

   "On our team, I'd be the best player," Kuchar said.

   Here's Simpson's take on his teammates' ping-pong talents:

   "I think I've seen about everybody play now and everybody is really good. Zach (Johnson) is really good. Tiger is good. Bubba (Watson) thinks he's good but he just plays defense. He doesn't hit any winners or anything and once he starts hitting those defensive shots, I start laughing and he beats me."

   Simpson said his table tennis claim to fame is beating Mickelson at the Presidents Cup in Australia last year.

  "After I beat him, he said my serve was illegal," Simpson said. "Then he beat me the next five times."

Azinger: 'I see a different Tiger Woods'

I had the chance recently to talk with Paul Azinger, captain of the victorious 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team, about what he sees looking at the matches this week at Medinah.

Here's some of what Azinger, who will be part of ESPN's television crew, had to say.

On Phil MIckelson: "Phil Mickelson has always been worth at least a point a day in the team room. He's phenomenal."

On Tiger Woods: "Tiger is more reserved. Tiger's Ryder Cup record (13-14-2) is better than people think.

"I didn't have Tiger on my team. I would have loved to have Tiger in a small group. I would have put him with Boo (Weekley), J.B. (Holmes) and Kenny Perry. He'd have been in the redneck pool. What's important is to get Tiger with guys he not only gets along with but he can be an encourager, too.

On the Tiger-Rory McIlroy relationship: "It's a surprising turn of events. McIlroy said some things Tiger could have gotten mad about. I think Tiger has made a career out of wanting players to be uncomfortable with him. I think the only guy I can think of who was comfortable with Tiger and didn't change who he was Rocco Mediate. Rocco idolized him and laughed at how good he is, in his face, like, 'Oh my god, I can't believe you hit that shot. His personality didn't change head to head against Tiger.

"Tiger shows up in character. He's playing a part. When he gets out of his car in the parking lot he's a pro golfer in part. He's wearing a shirt the color of blood for a reason. He lets people know those are his power colors. He plays the role hard.

"He made a comment (at the PGA Championship) that he tried to be happy go lucky out there. What happened? That's a big change in his personality. Maybe he's looking at his life differently.

"If ever a guy has been a threat to Tiger's legacy and could rob him of a championship, it's Rory. It's a big turn of events. I see a different Tiger Woods from the one who relished in his ability to intimidate."