Mark’s Kaddy Korner

The Augustine blackjack dealers chased me from the tables about 4:00 a.m. and as I was driving back to my buddy Todd’s place the sky was gurgling above the mountains between Palm Springs and L. A. The clouds were swirling, lightning flashing and the L. A. area was experiencing the worst torrential downpour in a half century. Jimin hadn’t texted about Monday practice time, ahh, maybe a caddy holiday was on the horizon. I forgot, I’m working for a young Korean, there’s no such thing as a day off. She texted me at 7:30, wanting me there at 10 but I negotiated for 11, enough time for the two hour drive from the desert.

Golf is not a game of perfect neither is life. Tiger is going through struggles on the course like he has in his life; the two are significantly intertwined. Anytime you see a golfer searching on the course you may also find him dealing with personal issues away from the game. A professional athlete has the ability to compartmentalize his life, block out interferences once on the playing field and compete at the highest level. Tiger’s personal issues were of such magnitude, now he’s making drastic changes in his golf game, he’s forgotten about the little things, or doesn’t have time for them. His short game and putting are suffering; he was the best at both for a long while.

Your Chicago suburb resident and Sony Open Champion, Mark Wilson, decided to play this week despite his beloved Packers teeing it up against the Bears. The game will be broadcast approximately the same time they’re playing in Palm Springs so you can count Wilson out this week, his concentration will be on the oblong ball or he may miss the cut (purposely?) and have his feet hiked up in front of the screen sipping a cold beverage with a brat or two.

If you’re going 36 on Sunday a caddy can’t pick a better track than Waialae CC. It’s short, flat, has a temperate climate and the scenery ain’t bad next to the ropes, up the mountain slopes, and along the shore. If you pay attention to the wind, grain on the greens, nibble on a couple of PB&J sandwiches along with some fruit and suck down a few bottles of H2O you should be okay.