It’s Time to Settle Ryder Cup Controversy

For Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club, the rain came and went, the sun came and went, the humidity came and went and the Ryder Cup controversy . . . well, it’s still here. In fact, it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon.

Here’s the timeline so far:

* Players say they want to be paid, hint that they might not show up in the future if they don’t get what they want.

* Players meet with PGA, PGA Tour officials and U.S. team captain. They all say everything’s fine, the players actually want no compensation, that the media are to blame for misrepresenting the issue.

* U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw goes off on “a few” of his players without naming them, then decides to name them--David Duval, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Mark O’Meara.

* Players say they want to get paid.

That about sums it up, probably, with one exception, a statement of feeling by Tom Lehman.

Said Lehman, in essence, I’m so sick of it, I could just barf.

Said Lehman, in actuality, “I think we should all be ashamed. The last thing the tour needs is a bunch of greedy, wimpy, whiny brats.”

Finally, somebody who gets it. This is one sorry mess, all right, a bona fide public relations disaster for everyone involved. The PGA is getting shortchanged, the players look like greedy mercenaries, the PGA Tour looks helpless, the media look uncomfortable in the middle and the U.S. captain looks like a guy wondering why the sky happened to fall during his watch.

Crenshaw wasn’t pleased with comments from Duval and Woods that the Ryder Cup is just a glorified exhibition, and told them so. That was before the Tuesday meeting, which was publicly sold as some sort of unification, but can only be seen now as an obvious attempt to cover up and mislead.

Here’s what Woods had to say Thursday:

“The Ryder Cup is an enormous moneymaker and because of that, I think that is our right to be able to be given funds to help our community. . . . And, unfortunately, I can’t do that. And it is an exhibition.”

That sounded to many that Woods and at least several others want to get some compensation--if only to give it to charity--and that the Ryder Cup is indeed an exhibition.

And Woods did not back off that opinion of the Ryder Cup as an exhibition when pressed about it moments later.

After Crenshaw had criticized the players obliquely, Duval telephoned Crenshaw to see if Crenshaw had been talking about him.

“He said he was,” Duval said.

But Duval said he didn’t react negatively.

“Ben’s entitled to his opinion, as I am. So, we just disagree.”

In the meantime, while Crenshaw frets that the public is growing weary of the debate, the outlook is for the controversy to get worse.

What can be done about it? In the first place, how about telling the truth? Jim Awtrey, representing the PGA, and Tim Finchem, representing the PGA Tour, and the players sitting side by side, saying everybody was on the same page, that there were no issues, was absolute baloney. At this point, the credibility of all involved is near zero.

In fact, in a 21-minute interview session, Awtrey used the words “no issue” or “nonissue” six times. One day later, Crenshaw was jamming his finger into a table in anger. Apparently, he had an issue.

Lehman characterized Crenshaw’s emotional outburst as “a slap on the wrist” and said it might serve as a wake-up call to the players. Everybody involved in this mess ought to be awake by now.

Clearly, the Ryder Cup compensation problem and its status as either a major event or just a dressed-up exhibition needs to be cleared up so everybody can be satisfied. The only issue should be when. Right now would be good.

CALL A LAWYER

News item: There will be 28 1/2 hours of the PGA on television.

Reaction: From David Feherty of CBS: “Someone who watches all that needs a divorce.”

ELK OUT

Steve Elkington withdrew Thursday after his caddie, “Gypsy” Joe Grillo, became ill. Elkington said Grillo had complained of chest pains and was taken by ambulance just before noon to nearby GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights.

Elkington, the 1995 PGA champion and one of the favorites at Medinah, remained at the hospital with Grillo for several hours. Grillo was listed in stable condition.

NUMBERS

For what it’s worth, 92 of the top 100 players in the Official World Ranking are entered at Medinah.

Also for what it’s worth, Scottish-born Tommy Armour is the last European-born PGA champion. He beat Gene Sarazen, 1-up, in 1930, although by then he was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

GOOD TIMING

Club pro Bruce Zabriski, who opened with a two-under 70, on when a club pro could contend at the PGA: “Today.”

REALLY, IT WAS

Nick Price, on what role the rain played: “It was wet.”

SHORT WORK

Dave Pelz, the short-game guru, says the way Medinah is set up, the player who is best at getting it up and down has the best shot at winding up on top.

“It’s a very long course, so a lot of people are going to miss the greens,” Pelz said.

The rough around the greens is about five inches high, which is going to require the players to hit what he calls “blast” flop shots, meaning a full swing. Stopping the ball on what may be suspect greens is going to be tricky, he said.

Pelz, author of “Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible,” handicapped the short games of a chosen few before the first round:

* Woods: “He’s got a great flop shot, but he’s a little bit inconsistent. He tries to make the ball do things. The great, great short-game players try to finesse it, coax it in there. Tiger doesn’t.”

* Mickelson: “He’s just great. He can do every shot and if he behaves himself and doesn’t try spectacular shots too often, he can handle them as well as anybody. He’s the premier short-game player in the world.”

* Payne Stewart: “He could win. His best chance is if he drives it well and the greens stay good. He’s become one of the best putters in the world.”

* Colin Montgomerie: “One of the best ball strikers I’ve ever seen and a wonderful short game. Putting, he’s had difficulty adjusting to the U.S. greens. If they let them grow a little bit because they’re afraid they don’t have enough grass on them, he would be great.”

* Duval: “He doesn’t have as many wedge shots, the little pitches around the greens, so I wouldn’t put him in the same class as Phil and Payne. He’s as good as Tiger. A great putter. If the greens stay good, he and Payne are dangerous on the greens.”

* Vijay Singh: “His short game really has improved and that’s made him a contender every time he plays. If he can hit his flop shot like he can this week, he’ll be pretty good.”

* Davis Love III: “I think he should have won five or 10 majors by now, but his short game isn’t as spiffy as it should be. He’ll suffer for that this week.”

* Ernie Els: “He’s the amazing guy. I can’t imagine anybody making the game look easier than he does. His weakness is his willingness to scramble.”

* Justin Leonard: “He’s so good around the greens. He’s got the flop shot and as a result, he could do it. And he’s motivated. He had the British in his hand. He had to feel the second worst of anybody there.”