During his reign as czar of the 1996 Olympic Games, Billy Payne, by his own admission, was “never much of a golfer.” However, he would still turn to the sport as a way to escape the pressures of being front-and-center on the world stage.
“I struggled and revered those moments when I could go off by myself, think of something other than the Olympics, and essentially have some privacy, which I didn’t otherwise have for that whole 10-year period,” Payne recalled. “So typically every Sunday morning before church, I would go play golf by myself, accompanied only by the state patrol sergeant who was assigned to me throughout the process, and I would play and he would critique. I fell in love with the game.”
That love has put Payne back into the spotlight.
Past the experience of the controversial, widely criticized Olympics in Atlanta, Payne now wields the big stick from the bully pulpit of Augusta National Golf Club. Payne held a teleconference Tuesday, less than a week after being named to replace Hootie Johnson as the chairman of Augusta National and the Masters.
While the first Augusta National chair not directly linked to club founder Bobby Jones or the legendary Clifford Roberts, Payne, 58, said he’ll take great care to adhere to the club’s standards and continue riding down the path paved by his predecessors. To that end, he admitted that there would be no dialogue with Martha Burk regarding women members and said there would be changes to the course before next year’s tournament.
Unlike the previous five years, which have seen more than 500 yards added, there’s a chance the 2007 Masters may actually be shorter. Five to 7 yards will be added to the tee boxes on the 11th and 15th holes, Payne said, in the event of a substantial headwind or soft conditions. Also, the right side of the fairway on No. 11 will be lengthened from 3 to 5 yards; however, emboldened golfers will want to take heed. The grass under the trees in that area will be replaced by pine straw.
There undoubtedly will be more changes in the offing. In recent years, the club has been buying property in the surrounding area, giving it the capability to keep expanding. One of the initial priorities of that expansion will be an improved practice facility; Payne said artist renderings will be completed soon, with the work finished in about four years.
Back to the books
Michelle Wie has another tale to tell her classmates at Punahou High School in Hawaii – how she made the cut at a men’s professional tournament. After failing to do so in seven previous tries on the PGA, Nationwide and Canadian tours, Wie played on the weekend – in a fashion – last week at the SK Telecom Open in South Korea.
The 16-year-old shot a 2-under-par 70 and a 69 to become the first woman since Babe Zaharias at the 1945 Tucson Open to make the cut in a men’s event. However, rain washed away Saturday’s third round and Wie struggled to a 2-over-74 in the final round to tie for 35th overall.The soggy finish didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the Wie camp.
“Because the tournament had a relatively strong field as a co-sanctioned Asia Tour event, her accomplishment is more significant,” Michelle’s father, B.J., said in an e-mail to The Denver Post upon the family’s return to the U.S.
Michelle Wie has accepted sponsor exemptions to the PGA Tour’s John Deere and 84 Lumber Classics, in July and September, respectively.
Lightning in a bottle
At this time a year ago, former Denver resident Jill McGill was fretting about her chances of making the field for the U.S. Women’s Open, being played at her old home course, Cherry Hills Country Club. She extinguished those fears by shooting a 3-under 281 in the Michelob Ultra Open to finish second to Cristie Kerr. Her runner-up check for $200,915 catapulted McGill up the money list and qualified her for the Open.
McGill is in a similar position this year, currently 73rd on the money list. The veteran hasn’t finished better than a tie for 32nd in seven starts this season, earning just over $40,000.
If McGill improves upon last year’s finish, she’ll derive a benefit potentially more lucrative than playing in the Open. This week’s winner gains a berth into the LPGA’s season-ending playoffs. The champion of that event wins $1 million.
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
