This week's PGA Tour stop is the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and hopefully, this year's telecast can be enjoyed without the artificial and incessant hoopla drummed up by the PGA Tour.
For years they have tried to add a false sense of prestige and importance to this event by self-declaring the event as "golf's fifth major."
Surprisingly, the golfing world's most powerful organization (the US PGA Tour) has no control over any of golf's four majors.
The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship are run by August National Golf Club, USGA, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club and PGA (Club Professionals Association), respectively.
As badly as they would like to appoint the Players Championship a major (as they have done on the Champions Tour, i.e. the Senior Players Championship and the Tradition), history, and Tiger Woods pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' professional major record will not let them.
This year, viewers may be spared from hearing announcers repeat over and over again how the Players Championship has the strongest field in golf (the PGA can't be happy that Masters champ Bubba Watson withdrew from the tournament to spend more time with his family.)
Hopefully, we can enjoy the tournament for what it really is - a very good golf tournament with a great field and an exciting set of finishing holes.
But one of golf's "majors?"
No way.
Name change
One of the newer courses in the area underwent an ownership and name change during the winter offseason.
Freestone Golf Course, located just west of State College, was purchased by an ownership group led by Garry McShea and Rich Brennan of State College.
According to Brennan, the newly named Skytop Mountain Golf Club is in the process of making significant course improvements and has invested in course maintenance equipment for first-year course superintendent Mike Stine.
Fink on his game
Altoona's Artie Fink Jr. showed once again why he is at the top of the list among amateur golfers in our area.
Fink competed this past Monday and Tuesday in the Pennsylvania Amateur Public Links Championship at Applecross Country Club in Downingtown. He shot scores of 76 and 74 in inclement weather to finish in fourth place.
It's the second year in a row that Fink has finished in the top five in this event, which features the best amateur golfers in the state. Last year he finished in second place.
PSU letterman
Hollidaysburg's Anthony DeGol, who is right alongside Fink as the area's top amateur golfer, finished a very successful year as a member of the Penn State golf team.
DeGol joined the team last year as an unrecruited walk-on and was a strong contributor right from the start. This season, he enjoyed even more success, claiming the Nittany Lion's low scoring average for the season.
He also posted the team's best score at the season-ending Big Ten Championship in French Lick, Ind.
DeGol will be returning to the team as a senior next year.
Ken Love covers area golf for the Mirror.?His column will appear on Fridays.
