Sports Extra - Blogs - Talking Tiger Woods and Southern Hills

OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | THUNDER | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL

@TWSportsExtra

HOMEPAGES

SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

FOR THE RECORD

Scores, statistics and standings for local and national sports.

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

Search the World's archives

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US

Editors
Michael Peters
Sports Editor
Patrick Prince
Asst. Sports Editor
Columnists
John Klein
Sr. Columnist
John E. Hoover
Columnist
Writers
Eric Bailey
OU sports, Big 12 sports
Guerin Emig
OU sports
Jimmie Tramel
OSU sports, ORU sports
Kelly Hines
OSU sports
Bill Haisten
TU sports, Thunder
Barry Lewis
High Schools, Drillers
Mike Brown
High Schools, Shock
Kelly Bostian
Outdoors

BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

Buy a published photo by clicking the "Order this Picture" link on the photo. For a full-color page reprint, call 732-8198 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or order online.

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

Learn more about the site.

Talking Tiger Woods and Southern Hills
Published: 1/29/2013 7:05 PM
Last Modified: 1/29/2013 7:05 PM

On the same day perhaps the greatest major champion of this era won his first event of the 2013 season, Southern Hills Country Club was forced to wait at least one more year in its pursuit of another major championship.

First to Tiger Woods:

He's back. OK, not really. I just felt like saying it.

Here's how you'll know when Woods is back -- and I'm not so sure it will ever happen.

On Sunday evening, playing the third hole of his final round and the 21st hole of the day, Woods drained a 10-foot birdie putt.

When he can again consistently make putts of that length and shorter on Saturdays and Sundays during major championships, then he'll be back. Until then, he's just another legendary golfer who was let down by his nerve.

As for Southern Hills, it has to be a disappointment to be passed over by the United States Golf Association in favor of Winged Foot for the 2020 U.S. Open.

Last summer, the folks at Southern Hills talked hopefully about winning the bid for the 2020 Open. And as recently as five years ago, the folks at Winged Foot had decided to put a hold on their major championship plans.

Now, 2021 is next up -- a full 20 years since Southern Hills' last U.S. Open.

(You can read John Hoover's column on Southern Hills' quest for another U.S. Open here).

Reading Hoover's column, you have to wonder if, these days, Southern Hills is merely the USGA's fall back -- the club they use to make the other possible venues sweeten their bids.

And you also wonder if Southern Hills' membership will ever regret chasing the Open rather than staying in the regular rotation for the PGA Championship.

But until Southern Hills gets turned down flat, there's always a chance. And often, back-up plans have a way of moving to the top.

Reader Comments

1 Total

Show: Newest First

Learn About Our Comment Policy

observer 5 (2 weeks ago)

You made the correct point, to wit: “Southern Hills is merely the USGA's fall back -- the club they use to make the other possible venues sweeten their bids.”

During the past 20 years of "monetizing” professional golf, the US Open is viewed strictly as a “destination event” – which is “bid for” aggressively by “destination locations” that can afford to do so. SHCC lost millions on the last US Open, because it did not receive any substantial amount of “rights fees” – but had to rely almost entirely on revenues it could generate – e.g., corporate tents, …. The last PGA was about a financial breakeven.

SHCC can, and generally will be, outbid by “destination locations”.

1 comments displayed

To post comments on tulsaworld.com, you must be an active Tulsa World print or digital subscriber and signed into your account.

To sign in to your account, go to tulsaworld.com/signin.
To activate your print subscription for unlimited digital access and to post comments, go to tulsaworld.com/activate.
To purchase a subscription, go to tulsaworld.com/subscribe.

The Editor's Desk

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

Follow Michael Peters on Twitter

Subscribe to this blog

2/2013	1/2013	12/2012	11/2012	10/2012	9/2012
8/2012	7/2012	6/2012	5/2012	4/2012	3/2012
2/2012	1/2012	12/2011	11/2011	10/2011	9/2011
8/2011	7/2011

Your bookmark will appear on your Profile page. Please give it a title, and short description so that visitors to your page will understand where the bookmark leads.
Bookmark Title :

Bookmark Text :