U.S. Open qualifier

Teaching pro from the shore's got game. For the details check out GAP's story...

COATESVILLE, Pa. –John Appleget, 41, carded a 2-under-par 69 at Coatesville CC (par 71, 6,444 yards) on Friday to earn medallist honors in a local qualifier for the U.S. Open Championship. Three others advanced to U.S. Open sectional qualifying set for June 5-6 at multiple nationwide sites.

Welcome ...

Years ago, before I made the leap from the News Department into Sports and golf, a journalism industry magazine asked me to write a story about the future of newspapers. This was 20-plus years ago, when home computers were still a novelty and nobody had ever heard of the internet -- not even Al Gore.

Somewhat to my surprise, the editor of that magazine specifically asked me avoid interviewing a bunch of newspaper editors. He wasn't interested in their predictions about shorter, snazzier stories, zoned editions, less investigative reporting, sports as business or the coming rage of color weather maps. He wanted to know what futurists -- those guys with their heads in the clouds -- foresaw for newspapers.

What those futurists told me was that I probably wouldn't retire from the Philadelphia Inquirer or any other newspaper. By the time I hit my 60s, they said, the kind of papers that thud on your doorstep would be seriously changed, probably diminished, possibly gone. While different futurists I interviewed had different ideas about exactly what the future held, they all agreed it would involve a technololgy younger than the 17th century. Who knows, they said, I could spend the autumn of my career working for a company, in a medium, that didn't yet exist. They were certain about one thing: there would still be jobs for people who do what I do: report, write, intrepret and edit the news.

I'm starting to think those futurists were right.

Chairman Billy Payne, Augusta Natl. GC

Since Billy Payne's first press conference as incoming chairman of Augusta National on Monday, talking heads and typing heads have been fouling the airwaves, internet and papers with speculation.

Will Payne, 58, an Atlantan who was CEO of the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, be a new-blood progressive or the same-old, same-old?

Judging from what I've seen of Payne at the Masters in recent years, I'd be very, very surprised if he came out with his guns blazing for change. He's too smart and too respectful of his Augusta National elders and the traditions of the club to step to the podium and declare himself an agent of change. But I'll be even more surprised if Payne doesn't prove to be a steady hand on the club's tillar yet also a bit of a modernist.

For the past two or three years, one thing I have noticed at the Masters is an increasing number of younger members strutting around in their green jackets -- fewer guys in their 70s and more in their 40s.

Guys like that are products of a different time, with different sensibilities, and they don't need embarrassing questions back in their boardrooms in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and other big cities.

The more I think about it, the more I believe Hootie Johnson, who is a good man but from another generation, realizes all this. At the risk of reading too much into his thinking and his choice of his successor, is it possible Johnson sees in Payne a leader who has the self-confidence and political savvy to ease the Augusta National forward.

Here are a few excerpts from his introductory press conference via conference call:

On changes to golf course for 2007...

There will be some changes to the course for the 2007 Masters that Mr. Johnson has already initiated, but certainly, I think you'll agree, not as significant as in the past. They will include adding five to seven yards in front of the tees on hole Nos. 11 and 15. The length of the tees on our other par 4s and 5s average about 20 yards. On those two holes, it's only about 13 yards. So these changes will make these tees consistent with the other tees on our course, and will provide us with more flexibility if the holes are playing into a substantial head wind or if the fairway conditions are soft.
Also, we will be adjusting the mow line at hole No. 11 about three to five yards on the golfer's right. This, we believe, will provide the medium-length player a wider fairway, especially at the 280- to 300-yard mark.
Also, on the 11th hole, and on the right, we will be removing the grass from under the pine trees and replacing it with pine straw. This, too, is consistent with other parts of our course.

On the prospect of women members...

Q. I wanted to ask you, one issue that has arisen during Hootie's tenure was the lack of female members. Can you see that changing?
BILLY PAYNE: Doug, I think I would answer that by saying as we've said and as you've heard many times in the past, on membership matters, all of them will be decided by our members, and we have no specific timetable to address that issue.

On his goals as chairman...

Q. And just as a quick follow up to that, and a simple one, Billy, what do you see as your goal as Chairman?
BILLY PAYNE: Well, I've been thinking a lot about that obviously over the last several days, Doug, and I think first and foremost, to preserve the great traditions of this golf course, those traditions which make it so special, those elements of this Club and this Tournament which make it one of most popular sporting venues in the world, and to embrace in every respect changes which continue to make, as they have in the past, this course during the Masters Tournament prove itself to be one of the great courses of the world. I think I begin my tenure with the course and the Club in pretty good shape.

On Martha Burk...

Q. I was curious, some of us as you well know by now spoke with Martha Burk the day this was announced, and she said she would call you and wanted to congratulate you and also wanted to sort of open up a dialogue on the 600-pound gorilla that's still in the room. I'm wondering, would you welcome having any kind of dialogue with her, and is that something that you see as being possible to occur?
BILLY PAYNE: Len, I think I'm very much aware of her position on all issues as they relate to Augusta National, and I don't really see at this time that any dialogue would be meaningful or helpful.
Q. So if she called, you wouldn't take her call?
BILLY PAYNE: I don't think any dialogue would be meaningful or helpful.

On adding PGA Tour winners to the field of the Masters...

Q. Mr. Johnson mentioned the possibility in the future of adding PGA TOUR winners back to the exemption ranks. Are there any other changes that you're going to be looking at right away?
BILLY PAYNE: You're accurate. We're looking at the issue of adding back PGA TOUR winners. We're studying the issue. We don't expect to do that by 2007. In fact, it would actually be unfair to do so because there are golfers out there playing right now under the existing qualification standards.
So while you won't see it next year, I think it's a probability that you will see it sometime soon in the future.

On his challenge as chairman...

Q. Just wondered, you've only had a few days to think about it, but what do you regard as your greatest immediate challenge?
BILLY PAYNE: I think I have -- I think it's safe to say that I will need to watch, to observe, I will need to learn a lot, get familiar with significantly greater detail about the operation of the Club and the Tournament than I now possess, and I've always felt that the best learning experience initially is certainly to listen and not talk. So that's what I plan to do in the coming months.

Ryder Cup Points

If the cut-off for making the Ryder Cup team were this week, the U.S. team would sport a very different look this year. Tiger Woods, of course, is No. 1 by a mile, followed by Masters champion Phil Mickelson. But take a look at No. 5 through No. 10.


2006 U.S. RYDER CUP
Through the Wachovia Championship
(5/7/06)

1. Tiger WOODS 2,930.000
2. Phil MICKELSON 2,034.375
3. Jim FURYK 1,206.000
4. David TOMS 1,068.917
5. Chad CAMPBELL 1,009.602
6. Lucas GLOVER 641.376
7. Davis LOVE III 631.875
8. Fred COUPLES 627.727
9. Vaughn TAYLOR 600.833
10. Zach JOHNSON 496.477
11. Arron OBERHOLSER 477.500
12. Scott VERPLANK 475.667
13. Jerry KELLY 473.750
14. Chris DIMARCO 470.000
15. Tom LEHMAN 432.917
16. Billy MAYFAIR 429.166
17. Kirk TRIPLETT 426.875
18. Fred FUNK 407.333
19. J.J. HENRY 403.750
20. J. B. HOLMES 381.667

The 36th Ryder Cup Matches will be held September 22-24, 2006, at The K Club in Straffan, Ireland.

PGA Free Lesson Month

If you or somebody you know wants to learn to play golf, nows is the time. May is free 10-minute lesson month at the PGA of America. Below is a list of are club pros who are paticipating in the national program.

Also, to find a pro, log onto www.playgolfamerica.com, then plug in your zip code and, Free Less Month and "click."

Below is a list of area pros are are participating in the national progam:

Jay Bowden
Pine Hill Golf Club
Pine Hill NJ 08021
(856) 435-3100

Robert Paullisky

Fox Meadow Golf Center

Maple Shade NJ 08052
(856) 829 1766

James Shukdinas
Links Golf Club
Marlton NJ 08053
(856) 983-2000

Brian Madden
Indian Spring Golf Course
Marlton NJ 08053
856-983-0222

Brian Feldschneider
Willowbrook Country Club
Moorestown NJ 08057
(856) 461-0131

Jonathan Adler
GolfTec - Moorestown
Moorestown NJ 08057
(856) 727-0736

Orist Wells
Pitman Golf Club
Sewell NJ 08080
(856) 586-6688

Thomas Miller
Dick's Sporting Goods
Deptford NJ 08096
609-298-3643

Bob Huber
Sylvan Golf Center
Fountainville PA 18923
(215) 348-5575

Robert Doria
Bucks County Country Club
Jamison PA 18929
(215) 343-0350

Dominick DiJulia
Dom DiJulia School of Golf
New Hope PA 18938
(216) 862-9045

Vin Ciarlone
Northampton Valley Country Clb
Richboro PA 18954
(215) 355-2234

Bob Sheppard
5 Ponds Golf Course
Warminster PA 18974
215-880-9356

William Walker
Talamore @ Oak Terrace
Ambler PA 19002
(856) 912-2613

Harry Barbin
Horsham Valley Golf Club
Ambler PA 19002
215-646-4707

James Bogan
Bensalem Country Club
Bensalem PA 19020
(215) 639-5556

Pearse Mahon
Edgmont Country Club
Edgmont PA 19028
(610) 353-1800

Harry Heagy
Edgmont Country Club
Edgmont PA 19028
(610) 353-1800

Thomas Borsavage
Dick's Sporting Goods
Fairless Hills PA 19030
(215) 946-8750

David Calhoun
Yardley Country Club
Yardley PA 19067
(215) 694-2631

Tom Hilbert
Olde Masters Golf Club
Newtown Square PA 19073
(610) 356-7606

James McCormick
McCall Golf & Country Club
Upper Darby PA 19082
(610) 734-7903

Tavistock Wins GAP Team Matches

As dynsaties go, there were the Terry Bradshaw era Steelers, the Michael Jordon era Bulls, today's Tom Brady led Patriots team and now, of course, Tavistock Country Club. T'stock has won it's third straight GAP Team Matches.