NO CHANCE: As it turns out, perhaps Hal Sutton knew something all along. Sutton, the U.S. Ryder Cup team captain, never seemed enamored with the prospect of picking John Daly, though there seemed to be a good deal of sentiment on the long driver's side. But before the PGA Championship, Daly played in a made-for-TV event at Pinehurst and lost to an amateur in match play, 2 and 1. The event, "People vs. Pros," in which amateurs use their full handicaps against pros, was taped by ESPN for fall airing. Daly lost to John Sniegowski of Cadillac, Mich. Perhaps Daly was had. Sniegowski, who has a 14-handicap, shot a net 19 under par in three qualifying rounds.
ARNIE'S TURNING POINT: This week's U.S. Amateur is the 50th anniversary of Arnold Palmer's victory in the event, a moment he calls the "turning point" in his career. Hence, the Arnold Palmer Turning Point Invitational, Aug. 29-30 at the Country Club of Detroit, where Palmer won the 1954 U.S. Amateur. The event is scheduled to have 31 past winners of the U.S. Amateur, including Jerry Pate 1974, Tampa's Fred Ridley (1975), Mark O'Meara (1979) and Phil Mickelson (1990). Proceeds will benefit several charities, including the Arnold Palmer Education Trust and the First Tee of Michigan. It is a two-best-ball event with former champions captaining fivesomes. For information, visit www.turningpointinvitational.org
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?: Chris Riley, who narrowly missed a playoff for the PGA Championship on Sunday, was nonetheless thrilled to make his first U.S. Ryder Cup team by virtue of his fourth-place tie. But Riley has a conflict of sorts, albeit a blessed one. His wife, Michelle, is pregnant and due on Sept. 17, the first day of the competition at Oakland Hills near Detroit. "We have an appointment tomorrow, and we're going to find out what we can do to make this work," Riley said. "Fortunately, she was an LPGA Tour player, so she knows how important this is and what an honor it is to play in the Ryder Cup. There's absolutely zero chance I'm going to miss the Ryder Cup. She wouldn't let me." They will get an idea from their doctor today on how far along the baby is and when it would be practical to induce labor.
QUOTABLE
"I could play another 18 holes. I feel great. I feel that I'm in the best shape physically I've ever been in and I'm not stopping here." - VIJAY SINGH, 41, after his playoff victory at the PGA on Sunday, discussing his conditioning.
STAT OF THE WEEK
The past 11 major championships have been won by 11 different players, the longest streak since the 1994 PGA Championship to the 1998 U.S. Open, when 15 different players won majors.
