Felicidades Sr. Villegas! Usted fue más que brillante. Ayer. En St. Louis.OK, my Spanish isn't perfect, but I did want to give a quick shout out to the awesome Camilo Villegas, who won the BMW Championship.
Many of our sport's writers and bloggers seem to be lamenting a kind of golf malaise this morning, with downbeat stories on the continuing absence of Tiger Woods, the start of the NFL Season the LPGA's recent public relations blunder and Vijay Singh clinching the Fedex Cup but still insisting on acting like...Vijay Singh.
I happen to be looking at a different golf landscape, myself, a decidedly brighter one, and I see an ultra appealing young Latino golfer winning and his first PGA tour event and doing it in amazing style.
Without so much as a single Tiger sighting, I see a Fedex Cup that's given us some undeniably great golf, Lots of it thanks to Vijay Singh, and you know what? Vijay Singh is always going to be Vijay Singh and that's the way it should be. Vijay's aloof, pertinacious personality is part of what makes him fascinating. It wouldn't work for everyone, but it works for Vijay. He's a star, perhaps not for hypersensitive golf journos... but so what?
As for the LPGA tour and last week's debacle, they've moved on. To Mobile, AL, in fact, where The Bell Micro LPGA Classic gets underway with a Pro-Am today. The silver lining in the whole "EnglishOnlyGate" mess might be a needed reevaluation of communications strategy in an organization that has so much going for it. There's a growing global interest in women's golf, and more than ever, an ultra exciting field of stars; Cristie Kerr fresh off her Safeway Victory and Se Ri Pak, freshly inducted hall of famer... popular princess of pinkness, Paula Creamer, and the inimitable Christina Kim, both undoubtedly yearning for a win right now. With stars like these, there's no reason the LPGA shouldn't be shining. And now that a PR/communications failing has been exposed I have every hope it soon will be.
I know there'll those who say I'm being unrealistic... that golf without Tiger is nothing, the Fedex Cup is a failure, Vijay Singh is
For an look at Camilo's story and his style, you've got to check out "Spiderman goes Wire to Wire" on Styled to a Tee.
...passing Patricia a drool towel while she perpetrates more percololating ponderances on Camilo Villegas. :-)
ReplyDelete(Should I get you some passes for the Tour Championship so you can walk the fairways at East Lake without the huge galleries usually found at a PGA event ?)
@courtgolf, yes, that would be good :o)
ReplyDeletelol - the towel or the tickets ?
ReplyDeleteTu español está perfectamente expresado...And yes, maybe there is no Tiger this year, but I am watching great golf, and great shots...I haven´t missed Tiger that much, and I think golf is bigger than Tiger.
ReplyDeleteYou're correct Patricia but in my view at least as big a story this weekend was Rory McIlroy narrowly missing out on winning the Swiss Open at age 19.
ReplyDeleteThis is the guy who shot a 61 at Royal Portrush (one of the toughest courses in Ireland) at age 16.
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=15105&select=27227
MMM yes, Mr. Villegas is a very deserving winner, he makes watching the TV on a sunny fall day worth it!
ReplyDeleteThe FedEx Cup, though flawed, has delivered some great golf. Vijay Singh is a great champion. Tiger is not playing...but Vijay, Sergio, Weir and Villegas are.
ReplyDeleteThe only negative story would be the disappearing act of Phil Mickelson...who was supposed to take over the Tour with Tiger out.
I noticed the down sentiment today too. It seems like no one is looking for the good stories. I agree that Camilo is one and I share your hope that this will be a learning experience for the LPGA.
ReplyDeletePlus I was never a big Mickelson fan so I don't share @teeoff's concern.
:)
Well, at least she's getting people interested in ladies golf clothing.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, Mickelson is overrated. Good golfer but that hunger seems to have disappeared. I love the characters in golf...Boo Weekley, Anthony Kim and Sergio is starting to win me over. They are what the Tour is about and why people should watch.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see how the Ryder Cup fairs this year. I'm thinking/hoping it'll be good. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe tour really should be doing more to promote these younger flashier stars. With the economy going in the direction it's going in, expanding golf's audience is crucial.
ReplyDeletePromoting the new, rising stars is key but the Tour and the media are hung up on Tiger and Phil.
ReplyDeleteTiger deserves the attention but they have to start talking about the Anthony Kim's and Camilo Villegas' as players and not as Tiger-beaters.
You know i'm a Camilo fan and your write up is awesome. The better he gets the more exciting golf will get!!!!
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