Golf

PODS: News and notes

By Dave Scheiber, Times Staff Writer
Published March 6, 2008

Azinger eyes Ryder candidates

PALM HARBOR - Paul Azinger is approaching his role as Ryder Cup captain with an open mind - even considering selecting a player from outside the PGA Tour.

"I think the real question will be after the eight guys are established, who am I going to pick?" he said Wednesday. " ... If some guy wins three tournaments in a row on the Nationwide Tour, and his last tournament is the week I pick, I'll probably pick him. I'm looking for anybody who is blazing hot."

Azinger, an FSU alum who lives in Bradenton, will add four on Sept. 2 to the eight who qualify based on a new Ryder Cup points system.

Previously, top-10 finishes and the year's overall performance were the determining factors - meaning golfers struggling on the heels of a strong season could still have an edge in making the team. The new system awards points based on finishes in the 2007 majors and allots one point for every $1,000 earned in 2008. In addition, two points will be awarded for every $1,000 earned at this year's majors. The idea is to reward players on a roll, not simply those who excelled a year before.

"I'm excited that we're getting a little turnover on the list, and so far so good - the players are talking all the time about Ryder Cup," he said. "I wanted to organize something where we'd get hotter players on the team. ... I really like the way it's breaking down so far."

Reflecting on Favre

PODS tournament director Gerald Goodman hasn't only been talking golf the past two days - he has been fielding questions about a player he once coached at Southern Mississippi, Brett Favre. Goodman was a receivers coach and recalls the spark the young quarterback showed from the start. "I remember when he was just 18 years old and we were playing him against Texas A&M and all these great teams. And he was just bright-eyed, always wanting to learn all the time. He was the same type of individual then that he is now. Our head coach, Jim Carmody, saw greatness in him. He would just say, 'play him.' You knew there were some kids who might have more knowledge of the game, but (Carmody) could see that talent." What does Goodman think the Green Bay Packers quarterback will do after announcing his retirement Tuesday? "Maybe," he said, "we can get him to come and play here at the PODS."

56 takes pro-am

Mark Calcavecchia's team of Peter Warhurst, Charlie Ogburn and Steve MacEachern won the morning flight of Wednesday's pro-am with 56. The effort was matched in the afternoon by Bo Van Pelt's team of Michael Robertson, Jeff Knight and David Stokely.

Young fan's day

Harris Armstrong, 12, of Tampa who has a spinal cord tumor, got a big thrill, mingling with Stuart Appleby, Stewart Cink, David Duval and Ernie Els, who autographed balls, gloves and wished him well.

Choi heads home

Only one man has led wire to wire in seven years of PODS competition: K.J. Choi in 2002. And when he won his second title in 2006, he led in three of four rounds. Good news for the field, Choi is not here this week. He's preparing to compete in his native South Korea.

[Last modified March 5, 2008, 23:09:19]