Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at The Players Championship all week, providing daily content for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday May 8.
For the last two decades, one of the best and most exclusive vantage points to watch The Players Championship belongs to Brian Phraner, an NBC cameraman who operates his equipment on a tiny island between the 16th and 17th greens.
Phraner takes a 12-foot, flat-bottom boat with a small electric motor from behind the 17th green to get to his work station. He has the island all to himself, unless you count several different species of birds who park themselves in the gigantic oak tree above Phraner.
Except for a late morning lunch break, and occasional bathroom emergencies, Phraner will be staying on that island from the time the first group arrives after 9 a.m. until the last group comes through around 7 p.m.
"It's a good spot, nice and private," said Phraner. "No distractions."
On Thursday, he was there when 48-year-old Tommy Armour III and Jose Coceres narrowly missed hole-in-ones. Armour's shot stopped a foot short of the hole, while Coceres rattled the pin and settled five feet behind the cup. Both made birdie.
Terry Hester, another veteran NBC cameraman who operates his lens in a television tower 30 feet high behind the par-3 17th hole, and Phraner both love the golf portion of NBC's schedule because it's their favorite sport to capture in pictures.
"Anybody would want to be up here," said Hester. "This is as good as it gets."
Unlike last year's first round, when high winds contributed to 50 balls finding the water at No. 17, it played rather tame for the golfers teeing off in the morning. Only five of the first 77 players failed to stay on dry land Thursday.
For more on the good life for spectators around the 16th and 17th greens at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course, check out my column in Friday's Florida Times-Union.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Another Auss-ome win at Players
Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at The Players Championship this week and offers daily content for jacksonville.com
After my wonderful projections for the Kentucky Derby -- picking none of the top three horses and saying that Big Brown would be another favorite biting the dust -- be forewarned that my forecast for win, place and show at The Players Championship should not be taken to Las Vegas.
The first caveat for any picks at this event is that it's the absolutely hardest golf tournament to do it because the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course favors no particular player. Big drivers, short hitters and medium hitters have all won the tournament, and there's no particular advantage for left-to-right or right-to-left players.
Even if Tiger Woods were in this field, I'm not sure I'd pick him to finish in the top three. That's how unpredictable The Players really is.
So here's my untrustworthy picks on the eve of the 2008 championship:
1. Adam Scott. His 71.36 scoring average in 22 rounds at the Stadium Course is one of the best around and the third-ranked player in the world is playing as well as anybody not named Tiger. He already has a Tour win at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship this season, so he's not pressing to get into the winner's circle. More importantly, Scott has a Players title to his credit and the Australians have karma here, winning four of the past 17 times. Scott can join Steve Elkington as the second Aussie to be a two-time champion.
2. Lee Westwood. A bit of a darkhorse pick, but you can bet somebody no one expects will be on the Sunday leaderboard. Westwood has only one PGA Tour victory, back in 1998 at the Freeport-McDermott Classic, but he can be a big-time pressure player as his splendid Ryder Cup record (14-8-3) indicates. Most experts picking Europeans would favor Ireland's Padraig Harrington or Spain's Sergio Garcia to be a contender, but Westwood does have top-six finishes here in 1998 and 1999.
3. Phil Mickelson. If anyone can break through and win as a defending champion, other than Tiger Woods anyway, it's Lefty. Though Mickelson has a spotty record at best at The Players, he obviously figured something out last year after turning to coach Butch Harmon for guidance. The PGA Tour would like for television ratings to not take too big of a dip without Tiger, and the best way to ensure that is for Mickelson to be in contention down the stretch.
After my wonderful projections for the Kentucky Derby -- picking none of the top three horses and saying that Big Brown would be another favorite biting the dust -- be forewarned that my forecast for win, place and show at The Players Championship should not be taken to Las Vegas.
The first caveat for any picks at this event is that it's the absolutely hardest golf tournament to do it because the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium course favors no particular player. Big drivers, short hitters and medium hitters have all won the tournament, and there's no particular advantage for left-to-right or right-to-left players.
Even if Tiger Woods were in this field, I'm not sure I'd pick him to finish in the top three. That's how unpredictable The Players really is.
So here's my untrustworthy picks on the eve of the 2008 championship:
1. Adam Scott. His 71.36 scoring average in 22 rounds at the Stadium Course is one of the best around and the third-ranked player in the world is playing as well as anybody not named Tiger. He already has a Tour win at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship this season, so he's not pressing to get into the winner's circle. More importantly, Scott has a Players title to his credit and the Australians have karma here, winning four of the past 17 times. Scott can join Steve Elkington as the second Aussie to be a two-time champion.
2. Lee Westwood. A bit of a darkhorse pick, but you can bet somebody no one expects will be on the Sunday leaderboard. Westwood has only one PGA Tour victory, back in 1998 at the Freeport-McDermott Classic, but he can be a big-time pressure player as his splendid Ryder Cup record (14-8-3) indicates. Most experts picking Europeans would favor Ireland's Padraig Harrington or Spain's Sergio Garcia to be a contender, but Westwood does have top-six finishes here in 1998 and 1999.
3. Phil Mickelson. If anyone can break through and win as a defending champion, other than Tiger Woods anyway, it's Lefty. Though Mickelson has a spotty record at best at The Players, he obviously figured something out last year after turning to coach Butch Harmon for guidance. The PGA Tour would like for television ratings to not take too big of a dip without Tiger, and the best way to ensure that is for Mickelson to be in contention down the stretch.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Players buzz not up to par
Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette will be at The Players Championship all week and offers daily commentary for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Tuesday May 6.
It's not just Tiger Woods who is taking a pass on The Players Championship this year. So, too, are some of the people paid to chronicle his every move.
While it's still early in the week, seats inside the media center at The Players are definitely less full than normal and the expectation is that the trend will continue for the remainder of the tournament.
At press conferences Tuesday morning for European players Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood, only 10-12 credentialed media were in attendance. That's a smaller number than usual for this event, an indication of both Tiger's absence and that the move to May is less convenient for the international media to make the trip.
"Economically, we're struggling with costs," said veteran golf writer John Hopkins of the London Times, who has covered The Players for the past 30 years. "Looking at balance sheets and Tiger not being here, [many publications are choosing to] give The Players a miss."
Hopkins estimates that the normal European media contingent on Tuesday at The Players would be 12-15 journalists, but it's down to six or eight this year.
Before the tournament was moved from March to May last year, many European golf writers made The Players and Masters as part of one long trip. But now that the events are almost a month apart, it requires two trans-Atlantic flights. Coupled with the fact Woods isn't here because he's rehabilitating from knee surgery, the 2008 Players lacks the feel of a major inside the media center.
Come Sunday, there may be great drama at The Players, but definitely less of a media contingent to write how it all plays out.
It's not just Tiger Woods who is taking a pass on The Players Championship this year. So, too, are some of the people paid to chronicle his every move.
While it's still early in the week, seats inside the media center at The Players are definitely less full than normal and the expectation is that the trend will continue for the remainder of the tournament.
At press conferences Tuesday morning for European players Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood, only 10-12 credentialed media were in attendance. That's a smaller number than usual for this event, an indication of both Tiger's absence and that the move to May is less convenient for the international media to make the trip.
"Economically, we're struggling with costs," said veteran golf writer John Hopkins of the London Times, who has covered The Players for the past 30 years. "Looking at balance sheets and Tiger not being here, [many publications are choosing to] give The Players a miss."
Hopkins estimates that the normal European media contingent on Tuesday at The Players would be 12-15 journalists, but it's down to six or eight this year.
Before the tournament was moved from March to May last year, many European golf writers made The Players and Masters as part of one long trip. But now that the events are almost a month apart, it requires two trans-Atlantic flights. Coupled with the fact Woods isn't here because he's rehabilitating from knee surgery, the 2008 Players lacks the feel of a major inside the media center.
Come Sunday, there may be great drama at The Players, but definitely less of a media contingent to write how it all plays out.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Bold move by Jaguars to nab UF's Harvey
Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium covering the Jaguars in the NFL draft. This is his second entry after Jacksonville selected Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey with the 8th overall pick.
Wow! The Jaguars really do expect to win now and wasted no time with the first bold move of the NFL Draft.
By moving up from the 26th spot to the Baltimore Ravens' No. 8 slot to select Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, the Jaguars took a major step toward fixing the weakest part of their team -- a pedestrian pass rush.
Not only did the Jaguars get a premiere pass-rusher, they got away with not having to give up their second-round pick in the process. Surrendering two third-round picks and a fourth-rounder to move up 18 spots in the first round was almost a steal.
"When you have that opportunity, you take advantage of it," said Jaguars' coach Jack Del Rio. "We didn't think we had enough ammo to get into the top 10. We weren't going to give away the whole draft."
Another factor that makes this trade a bonanza for the Jaguars is, given the depth of their roster, there's no guarantee that the third and fourth-round picks would have much of an impact or even make the team at all.
"We felt it was a reasonable trade," said James Harris, the Jaguars' vice-president of player personnel. "Defensive linemen can go any place. If we wait to [the 13th pick], we may miss him. We had him clumped in with a group of guys in that [bottom of the top-10].
"We're not sure if two third-rounders could come in and make the team. This was about evaluating our team and looking to strengthen it."
Harvey figures to fortify a Jaguars' pass rush that finished tied for ninth in the NFL with 37 sacks last season, but had a difficult time in the 31-20 AFC playoff loss to the New England Patriots. Quarterback Tom Brady completed 26 of 28 passes and was never sacked after John Henderson got to him on the opening play.
The Jaguars gladly let former Florida Gator Bobby McCray, a part-time starter at defensive end, walk into free agency after he registered just three sacks in 2007 after a 10-sack season the year before. At minimum, Harvey will come in and be a situational third-down pass rusher, but he should immediately challenge for a starting spot.
Del Rio said he didn't think the Jaguars "had the ammo" to get up into the top-10 of the draft, but they found a willing partner in the Ravens, an organization where Harris and Del Rio were both employed before coming to Jacksonville.
In Jaguars' history, the two draft-day trades that brought the Jaguars huge impact players were quarterback Mark Brunell in 1995 (for a third and fifth-round draft pick) and running back Fred Taylor in 1998 (for quarterback Rob Johnson).
For the first time in the Jack Del Rio regime, they made a bold trade that could net a similar result.
Wow! The Jaguars really do expect to win now and wasted no time with the first bold move of the NFL Draft.
By moving up from the 26th spot to the Baltimore Ravens' No. 8 slot to select Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, the Jaguars took a major step toward fixing the weakest part of their team -- a pedestrian pass rush.
Not only did the Jaguars get a premiere pass-rusher, they got away with not having to give up their second-round pick in the process. Surrendering two third-round picks and a fourth-rounder to move up 18 spots in the first round was almost a steal.
"When you have that opportunity, you take advantage of it," said Jaguars' coach Jack Del Rio. "We didn't think we had enough ammo to get into the top 10. We weren't going to give away the whole draft."
Another factor that makes this trade a bonanza for the Jaguars is, given the depth of their roster, there's no guarantee that the third and fourth-round picks would have much of an impact or even make the team at all.
"We felt it was a reasonable trade," said James Harris, the Jaguars' vice-president of player personnel. "Defensive linemen can go any place. If we wait to [the 13th pick], we may miss him. We had him clumped in with a group of guys in that [bottom of the top-10].
"We're not sure if two third-rounders could come in and make the team. This was about evaluating our team and looking to strengthen it."
Harvey figures to fortify a Jaguars' pass rush that finished tied for ninth in the NFL with 37 sacks last season, but had a difficult time in the 31-20 AFC playoff loss to the New England Patriots. Quarterback Tom Brady completed 26 of 28 passes and was never sacked after John Henderson got to him on the opening play.
The Jaguars gladly let former Florida Gator Bobby McCray, a part-time starter at defensive end, walk into free agency after he registered just three sacks in 2007 after a 10-sack season the year before. At minimum, Harvey will come in and be a situational third-down pass rusher, but he should immediately challenge for a starting spot.
Del Rio said he didn't think the Jaguars "had the ammo" to get up into the top-10 of the draft, but they found a willing partner in the Ravens, an organization where Harris and Del Rio were both employed before coming to Jacksonville.
In Jaguars' history, the two draft-day trades that brought the Jaguars huge impact players were quarterback Mark Brunell in 1995 (for a third and fifth-round draft pick) and running back Fred Taylor in 1998 (for quarterback Rob Johnson).
For the first time in the Jack Del Rio regime, they made a bold trade that could net a similar result.
Tough call, but Falcons had to take Ryan
Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is over at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to cover the NFL draft. This is his early first-round entry for Saturday April 26.
When former Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith took the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job, there were so many holes to fill that it'd be hard to miss with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
As tempting as it was to take LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, and the Falcons needed an impact interior lineman to replace Rod Coleman, they did the right thing by selecting Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and the Falcons couldn't afford to gamble that whoever is their second choice (Joe Flacco or Brian Brohm) would be available with the 34th overall pick.
You could argue that the Falcons' starting quarterback will struggle mightily in 2008 no matter who it is, but if Atlanta's brass is convinced that Ryan has the right stuff to be successful, then it's imperative you grab him because nothing is more important than having stability under center.
I believe Ryan has the makeup to be a good one because he made Boston College a relevant team despite not having any big-time weapons. Other than tackle Gosder Cherilus, the Eagles weren't a club loaded with future NFL prospects. Yet Ryan had a knack for pulling out close games when his team needed big drives in the closing minutes.
This marks the sixth consecutive draft that a quarterback has been taken in the top three picks. The jury is still out on the last three quarterbacks that were the first to go off the board -- JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young and Alex Smith -- but the Cincinnati Bengals' Carson Palmer (2003) and the New York Giants' Eli Manning (2004) eventually validated the position in which they were chosen.
Smith has a huge rebuilding job ahead. It may be a couple years before the Falcons can recover from the debacle of Michael Vick's professional decline and the bizarre departure of former coach Bob Petrino.
By taking the best quarterback in this draft, the Falcons took the necessary gamble to eventually get back on track.
When former Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith took the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job, there were so many holes to fill that it'd be hard to miss with the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
As tempting as it was to take LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, and the Falcons needed an impact interior lineman to replace Rod Coleman, they did the right thing by selecting Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league and the Falcons couldn't afford to gamble that whoever is their second choice (Joe Flacco or Brian Brohm) would be available with the 34th overall pick.
You could argue that the Falcons' starting quarterback will struggle mightily in 2008 no matter who it is, but if Atlanta's brass is convinced that Ryan has the right stuff to be successful, then it's imperative you grab him because nothing is more important than having stability under center.
I believe Ryan has the makeup to be a good one because he made Boston College a relevant team despite not having any big-time weapons. Other than tackle Gosder Cherilus, the Eagles weren't a club loaded with future NFL prospects. Yet Ryan had a knack for pulling out close games when his team needed big drives in the closing minutes.
This marks the sixth consecutive draft that a quarterback has been taken in the top three picks. The jury is still out on the last three quarterbacks that were the first to go off the board -- JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young and Alex Smith -- but the Cincinnati Bengals' Carson Palmer (2003) and the New York Giants' Eli Manning (2004) eventually validated the position in which they were chosen.
Smith has a huge rebuilding job ahead. It may be a couple years before the Falcons can recover from the debacle of Michael Vick's professional decline and the bizarre departure of former coach Bob Petrino.
By taking the best quarterback in this draft, the Falcons took the necessary gamble to eventually get back on track.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Florida State needs to show Parker tough love
Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette provides weekly commentary on various issues for jacksonville.com This is his entry for Thursday April 24.
It'll be interesting to see what the disciplinary measures will be for one of Florida State’s most skilled players, receiver/running back Preston Parker, after this week’s arrest on marijuana possession and a felony charge of carrying a concealed firearm. Under new athletic director Randy Spetman, FSU football has an opportunity to continue a makeover of its wrist-slapping reputation in the punishment department.
Not that schools like Florida, Miami, Tennessee and Georgia are any tougher on star players who wind up on a police blotter, but those athletic departments aren’t being presently weighed down by an academic scandal. Parker picked a bad time to be piling on a football program that is in recovery mode.
On the disciplinary scale, Parker’s case is as high-profile as it gets for any Seminole athlete. If all that matters to FSU is the 2008 won-loss record, Parker will be suspended for no more than a game or two.
But if Parker is either dismissed or misses a good chunk of the season, it’d be a clear message to all FSU athletes — and not just the ones sidelined for cheating in an online music course— that there’s serious consequences for bad behavior across the board.
In the long run, the football program may be better off if the hammer comes down on Parker.
It'll be interesting to see what the disciplinary measures will be for one of Florida State’s most skilled players, receiver/running back Preston Parker, after this week’s arrest on marijuana possession and a felony charge of carrying a concealed firearm. Under new athletic director Randy Spetman, FSU football has an opportunity to continue a makeover of its wrist-slapping reputation in the punishment department.
Not that schools like Florida, Miami, Tennessee and Georgia are any tougher on star players who wind up on a police blotter, but those athletic departments aren’t being presently weighed down by an academic scandal. Parker picked a bad time to be piling on a football program that is in recovery mode.
On the disciplinary scale, Parker’s case is as high-profile as it gets for any Seminole athlete. If all that matters to FSU is the 2008 won-loss record, Parker will be suspended for no more than a game or two.
But if Parker is either dismissed or misses a good chunk of the season, it’d be a clear message to all FSU athletes — and not just the ones sidelined for cheating in an online music course— that there’s serious consequences for bad behavior across the board.
In the long run, the football program may be better off if the hammer comes down on Parker.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Prepare to be blown away by Masters
Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette is at the Masters and providing daily content for jacksonville.com This is his entry as play begins Sunday April 13.
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Judging by how the flags are flapping at 11 a.m. by the main scoreboard, the champion of the 72nd Masters may feel more like a survivor than a winner.
It's a Winnie the Pooh kind of day for the final round at Augusta, with west winds gusting from 20-30 miles per hour. So don't look for 12 of the 45 golfers to post scores in the 60s like they did in Saturday's third round.
It may not be as bad as last year's third round when champion Zach Johnson shot a 76 and the field scoring average was 77.352, the highest average since the 1982 opening round. But expect scores today to plummet significantly from Saturday, which could bring leaders Trevor Immelman (11-under-par), Brandt Snedeker (9-under), Steve Flesch (8-under) and Paul Casey (7-under) back to the field.
Strong winds could be a huge boost for Tiger Woods, who is six shots off the lead at 5-under, and is the only player in the final three groups to have any experience being in final-round contention at a major.
Who will win the Masters? The answer may be blowing in the wind.
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Judging by how the flags are flapping at 11 a.m. by the main scoreboard, the champion of the 72nd Masters may feel more like a survivor than a winner.
It's a Winnie the Pooh kind of day for the final round at Augusta, with west winds gusting from 20-30 miles per hour. So don't look for 12 of the 45 golfers to post scores in the 60s like they did in Saturday's third round.
It may not be as bad as last year's third round when champion Zach Johnson shot a 76 and the field scoring average was 77.352, the highest average since the 1982 opening round. But expect scores today to plummet significantly from Saturday, which could bring leaders Trevor Immelman (11-under-par), Brandt Snedeker (9-under), Steve Flesch (8-under) and Paul Casey (7-under) back to the field.
Strong winds could be a huge boost for Tiger Woods, who is six shots off the lead at 5-under, and is the only player in the final three groups to have any experience being in final-round contention at a major.
Who will win the Masters? The answer may be blowing in the wind.
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