CPC Stays Put, Masters Pick, The Shark and More…

Some fractured thoughts for a Thursday morning:

TRANSCENDING BORDERS: There are many who believe the Titleist and FootJoy Canadian PGA Club Professional Championship should never leave Canada, but many more who enjoy the break and a trip to warmer climates in November to compete.

The main reason for the CPC being held in the United States is the difficulty in getting professionals away from their duties in the middle of a short Canadian golf season, but where should it be held down south?

The tournament has been held the past few years at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., but there had been speculation that it would move to Arizona in alternate years to ease the travel load on pros coming in from the West Coast.

Such a rotation won’t happen this year as it’s been confirmed that the CPC will return to Port St. Lucie in November. For the complete schedule, see the News Now section on the home page.

EMPHASIZING INDUSTRY: Bill “Skip” Johns, the self-professed Dean of Ontario Golf Writers (we call him something different, even to his face), left a comment recently, wondering why GNN hadn’t said anything after Tiger Woods’ incredible performance at Bay Hill, which had everybody buzzing.

Skippy isn’t the first to ask such a question. We also received an e-mail from somebody asking why we didn’t write anything about Phil Mickelson’s win at Riviera earlier this season.

The reason is, of course, the GNN mandate which is to inform and provide a community for the Canadian golf industry.

Tour news such as Tiger’s amazing putt on the 18th hole at Bay Hill is exciting, but something for consumer publications and websites. The possibility of starting a consumer side to GNN has been discussed frequently, but our mandate is exclusively focused on issues and news exclusively for the Canadian trade.

FOLLOW-UP: You may recall a couple of months ago when I wrote about how William Powell should be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla.

The decision will be made next week during the Masters and hopefully, the hall selectors will see what the PGA of America saw when it recently named Powell, 92, the 2009 recipient of that association’s Distinguished Service Award.

Despite some huge obstacles, Powell built the Clearview Golf Club, starting in 1946, as a place for golfers of all backgrounds to play side by side near Easton Canton, Ohio.

Now referred to as “America’s Course” by many, Clearview is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States.

Powell’s mission was honourable in that he wanted to bring people together under golf’s umbrella rather than segregating them and his daughter Renee, who faced her own challenges as an African-American on the LPGA Tour, is carrying on that tradition.

Powell’s message is one that can be applied to a diverse country such as Canada, where an effort to attract people of different backgrounds would also be good for business in difficult economic times.

Winning this award puts Powell among the names of past winners such as Bob Hope, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, among others. All of those names are in the Hall of Fame, by the way.

Powell will receive the award at this year’s PGA Championship.

TAYLORMADE TIMING: TaylorMade had impeccable timing with its announcement that Greg Norman has become a company tour staff player.

The Shark is expected to use the r9 driver, Tour Preferred irons and the TP Red golf ball in a deal that will see Norman with a TaylorMade staff bag and company logo on the side of his headwear.

Of course, the spotlight, at least in the early going, will be on Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson next week at Augusta National, but Norman will receive his fair share of attention in his first Masters since 2002 after his surprise tie for third at last year’s British Open at Royal Birkdale.

MY MASTERS PICK: Tough to go against Tiger, but if it’s anyone else, it won’t be Mickelson who, as far as I’m concerned, ran away from Woods with the No. 1 position in the world on the line at Bay Hill.

Geoff Ogilvy may be the guy after wins this year at the Mercedes-Benz and Accenture Match Play Championship.

Related Posts:

• Some Pre-Masters Observations
• Will Your Facility Celebrate The Masters?
• Round One Masters Thoughts
• Round Two Masters Thoughts
• Final Masters Thoughts