Category: HUFF’S STUFF Blog

Quick: Who is the better player between these two young international stars — Matteo Manassero or Rory McIlroy? And for that matter, who has the more wins, the 17-year-old Italian or the 21-year-old from Northern Ireland?

Chances are most of you answered McIlroy, who looked like a world-beater through 63 holes of the Masters before his meltdown on Sunday at Augusta National led to an 80 and a tie for 15th place.

Granted, there was McIlroy back in the thick of it last weekend in Malaysia, where he three-jacked twice going down the stretch and lost to Manassero by a couple of strokes. But to his credit in his very first, well-documented Twitter (or is that Tweet:), he wrote: “Well done, Matty! What a player for 17!”

Which is becoming a common theme for the kid with the curly, albeit shorter, mop of hair – making fun of himself. Like when he imploded on the 64th hole of the Masters with one of the more memorable snap hooks in golf history – “I don’t think anyone’s ever been over in those cabins before.’’ Or when he posted that very cabin photo on his account: “Apparently I was spotted house hunting last week. LOL!’’

LOL? OK, BFD, I can’t rip a young kid for having a sense of humor even if Rory does get abrasive occasionally, like when he pimps the TPC Sawgrass, the PGA Tour and Tiger Woods in general. But the fact is a lot of people have anointed McIlroy after only two professional wins – one in the U.S. and one in Europe.

That, by the way, is the exact number of times Manassero has won on the Euro Tour, as he became the second-youngest player to ever win there last weekend to go with his youngest ever record (16) a year ago. Considering McIlroy is four years his elder – Manassero turned 18 Tuesday and McIlroy goes to 22 on May 4 – I’ll take Manassero.

Here’s what I don’t like about McIlroy’s game, which has nothing to do with the kid from Holywood (no, that’s not a typo). He can’t putt, especially in the clutch. It’s cost him numerous times coming down the stretch in his brief career. Granted, the snap-hook drive at No. 10 at the Masters lit the powder keg, but it was the four-jack at the 12th that blew his bid sky-high.

McIlroy reminds me of a combination of Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia, who were both the “next Tiger’’ at one point in their early careers. But Scott and Garcia have yet to win a major, and Sergio never will. Even though Scott has gone to the long putter, I don’t see it happening for him, either.

The rub on Manassero is that he’s short off the tee, but make no mistake, this youngster can putt, which is what I like about him. That’s why Matty is No. 33 in the world and rising, and why, ultimately, after he gets a little more bulk to his frame and length to his game, he’s your next superstar – “the next Seve,’’ which just happens to be Manassero’s hero.

MORE KIDS STUFF

Speaking of young and restless, how about Peter Kyo Won Koo’s win last week in the Arizona Stroke Play tournament at TPC Champions, where the 15-year-old from Chandler beat the best amateurs in the state?

That was impressive stuff from the freshman at Hamilton High, who became the youngest winner ever of an Arizona Golf Association tournament. The cool-headed Koo, who already is No. 2 man for the Huskies, took a five-shot lead into the finale, blew the lead and then came back to win by 2 strokes.

Koo’s gutsy effort in the face of adversity (he had lost his big lead after just five holes) erased the old standard held by the late Bob Goldwater (1926 Arizona Amateur) and Philip Francis (2005 Arizona Publinks), who were 16 when they did the trick.

Call me jaded, as in Masters green.

Seriously, I can’t help myself. I love the game’s annual magical mystery tour in Augusta, Ga., that much. I guess you might say that’s what happens after being fortunate enough to attend and report on 20 Masters from 1989 to 2009.

The truth is, I was hooked after my very first experience in ’89, when I covered the tournament for the Arizona Republic. In fact, I was blown away the moment I entered Gate 4 off Washington Road, the site of the old “Press’’ parking lot. Back then at the Masters they didn’t refer to reporters as “media’’; that came later.

It was always “members of the press,’’ like we were a pack of barking dogs. Just like the fans were and still are known as “patrons’’ and the players “contestants’’ or “invitees.’’ It’s old school and quite Southern.

As a sports journalist and part-time fan, I have attended and reported on some mighty big sporting events during my career – the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl, the World Series, Wimbledon, the Final Four, the NBA Finals, the Rose Bowl, as well as golf’s other three major championships – the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship – and the Ryder Cup. In fact, I’ve covered 46 majors and four Ryder Cups.

Nothing, nada, zilch, zero comes close to the magnitude and the majesty –and just a darn good time — as the Masters. If they all knew just how good it really is, golf purists would sell their souls for one of those weekly “patron badges’’ that cost $200. I still remember plunking down a hundred bucks for the very first one I purchased in 2000, as “the press’’ was allowed to buy a badge each year for their spouse.

Walking through the gates of Augusta National for the very first time — with all the flags from all the different countries represented in the Masters field flying overhead — was so very cool. But taking those first steps onto the course that Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie carved out of the legendary Fruitlands Nursery was like stumbling upon the Emerald City in “The Wizard of Oz.’’ (And to think, because of a lottery that was held each year for the golf writers, I was lucky enough to get to play Augusta National twice, which was nice because the first time I didn’t sleep a wink in anticipation of my tee time!)

Guaranteed, you’ve never seen anything quite like Augusta National. The vegetation is as if they mixed the pristine fairways and greens of Pine Valley into the gorgeousness of Golden Gate Park. And those spectacular, sweeping, extremely dramatic elevations just blow you away. Visually, Augusta National is overwhelming, especially when you consider the course drops 17 stories from the highest point (the first green) to the lowest (12th green). By comparison, Niagra Falls drops 173 feet. Or those monstrous greens, like the 16th that drops 15 feet from the bunker side to water side.

It is truly a step back in time, as the course looks much the same as when it first opened in 1934 with Horton Smith as the winner even though ol’ Horton didn’t get the green jacket, a tradition that began with Sam Snead in 1949. Even the prices — like beer for $2 and $3 (“regular’’ or “premium”) and those overrated pimento sandwiches for $1.50 – remain entrenched in the lore along with the ice cream sandwiches for a buck.

So are those ubiquitous Georgia pines that frame the fairways and greens, as well as those beautiful blooming magnolias. And though there are only a handful of stately oaks on the property, you never will forget the 100-year-old-plus giant oak that fans out regally on the clubhouse lawn thanks to a series of cables that holds its ancient arms together like a patient in critical care. The old oak tree is where “the press’’ has gathered since early times.

On the other side of the clubhouse, which actually is the front entrance, is where the photo opportunity lies. Cameras are allowed as group after group of ladies and gentlemen wait in line to get a photo with those famous yellow mums that form the body of the Masters logo – a small garden in the shape of the United States with a pin protruding proudly out of the lower right-hand corner where Augusta is located.

Oh, is that the one-and-only Magnolia Lane right over your shoulder? Yep, if you turn around while you’re waiting in line for your photo, there lies the tree-topped canopy over the road that everybody who’s anybody in the game has driven down at least once in their lifetime. Of course, that includes members (or “green jackets,’’ as they are dubbed by “the press’’).

Speaking of must-see (immediately!) Masters landmarks, there’s the game’s holy grail also known as “Amen Corner,’’ which includes the terrific trio of holes numbered 11 through 13. The second shot on the par-4 11th is perhaps the scariest on the course, considering it’s always struck from a downhill lie with water left, bunkers right and the green sloping towards Rae’s Creek. The 12th is, hands down, the most difficult tee shot of four very demanding par 3s, especially with the wind swirling above the trees. The 13th is the easiest par 5 on the course IF you can work the ball around the corner of a seriously tilted fairway that is guarded by Rae’s Creek on the left and a small pine forest to the right.

Other well-known features of “the National,’’ as the members like to refer to it, include the fairy tale-like Hogan Bridge, which arches over Rae’s Creek to the 12th green; the Sarazen Bridge that fords the pond to the 15th green; and the Eisenhower Tree that guards the 17th fairway. Each has a great story behind it, but it’s hard to beat Sarazen’s “shot heard ’round the world’’ in 1935, when “The Squire’’ holed a 4-wood from 235 yards for a double-eagle 2 at the par-5 15th. Sarazen trailed Craig Wood by three shots at the time, made them all up in one swing, and then beat Wood the next day in an 18-hole playoff.

During my 20 years at the Masters, my personal tournament highlights included watching Tiger Woods win by 12 in 1997, in what was truly a turning point in the history of the tournament and eventually led to “Tiger –proofing’’ the golf course; observed two of Phil Mickelson’s three wins (2004, 2006) as a fan and a reporter for the East Valley Tribune; scratched my head in disbelief when Nick Faldo went back-to-back in 1989-90 as both Scott Hoch and Raymond Floyd choked; and the emotional week when “Gentle Ben’’ Crenshaw came from nowhere to claim his second green jacket shortly after burying his life-time mentor, Harvey Penick.

There were so many other memorable moments, like renting homes from the locals through the Masters Housing Bureau. That was an amazing experience, considering we rented our first house for $1,000 for the week and our last house for $3,600 for the week – the first house being way better than the last. (Unless you don’t mind cock roaches.)

Along the way we stayed in Augusta, North Augusta (yes, it’s a suburb), Martinez (pronounced Martin-ez) and Aiken, S.C., which is on the other side of the Savannah River from Old Town Augusta. Believe it or not, about 500,000 people live in the metropolitan area, which is quite a few for what one local once told me: “Is a town that comes alive for one week and is ‘dead’ for the other 51.’’

But for that one week, Augusta (population: 200,000) will give you a year’s-full. We used to go to a blues-themed supper club in the Old Downtown area (Broad Street) called “Word of Mouth,’’ which was a circa-1900s building that once housed James Brown’s notorious nightclub. Yeah, the same red-brick wall that the “Godfather of Soul’’ once drove his car through in a drunken stupor still remains. So does the 165-year-old Partridge Inn off Walton Way, where President Warren G. Harding, America’s first golfing president, hosted his election gala. And speaking of Walton Way, which borders the western side of Augusta National, you had to drive down this storied street at least once every day just to check out the awesome Antebellum mansions where all the corporate “players’’ hosted their weekly Masters parties.

Speaking of shindigs, the Irish Tourism Bureau still throws a bash for the golf writers in one of those throwback homes of yesteryear on Thursday nights of tournament week followed by the PGA of America’s barbecue on the river on Fridays and CBS’ clambake on Saturday nights.

Parties by hosts like TaylorMade, Nike and Golf Digest also are a major part of Masters week, although I always had more fun checking out the cuisine and vino at places like TBonz, a Washington Road roadhouse where the players and caddies liked to hang (well, a few players like Jack Nicklaus and Fuzzy Zoeller); the French Bistro, a bizarre New Orleans-style seafood restaurant that was always packed tighter than crawdads; the ageless Surrey Bar, made famous by the old CBS posse of Pat Summerall, Ken Venturi and the late Bob Drum; Luigi’s Italian Restaurant, a mainstay in Old Downtown known for its “Greek chicken’’; the namesake Green Jacket Restaurant that went belly up and became a Bible store; and Coconuts, a popular nightclub (not the strip version) where I once observed a drunken female patron taking it all off — for free!

There were other things about Augusta and the Masters that remain timeless and entrenched like a life-long tradition in my mind. The heavy pollen that would turn virtually everybody’s rental cars lime green throughout the week; the Richmond “Boss Hoss’’ County sheriff’s deputies who were always doing their best to out-glare the Pinkertons through their mirrored-covered sunglasses; everybody being referred to as “Mr.’’ or “Mrs.’’; and my first encounter with Krispy Kreme donuts that were later made famous by Phil the Thrill (Or have you forgotten the green-jacket photo at the Krispy Kreme drive-thru from last year?)

And then there was my most infamous moment ever at the Masters, which came in 2009, alas my last year before they banned Internet writers and thus shut out the last of the Arizona “press.’’ As I was leaving the course from Wednesday’s practice round, I ducked behind the men’s restrooms near one of the exits on the course to do a radio interview that I already was late for and desperate to get done. And, yes, I knew the rule of “No Cell Phones’’ but, oh well, play at the Par 3 Contest already had ended hours ago and it was nearly 7 o’clock at night with not an “invitee’’ in sight.

“Sir, is that a cell phone you’re using?’’ a Pinkerton asked me from seemingly around the corner. Shocked, I dropped the interview with XTRA Sports 910 in mid-conversation and tried to hide the phone. But it was too late.

Two hours later, I was cleared of any wrongdoing and promised I’d never, ever talk on my cell inside golf’s holy grounds again. Adding to the chagrin that week, the ending was one of the biggest duds of my two decades at the Masters, with Angel Cabrera beating Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry in a playoff.

Oh, well, spring has sprung again, and golf’s annual rite is upon us. Which brings me to what now has become ‘’my major misery’’ for a second straight year.

Damn, I miss the Masters.

Tucson has dodged the “high, hard one’’ once again after the PGA Tour announced on Monday that the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is returning to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain near Marana for 2012.

There was one significant change, however, as the Tour also announced that long-time employee Gerald Goodman would replace Tucson’s Wade Dunnagan as executive director of the Match Play. Dunnagan, a popular figure in the Arizona golf community, had been in that position for the past three years.

Monday’s announcement squelched a recent rumor that the Match Play was headed for the TPC Blue Monster at Doral in Florida. According to that erroneous report, the WGC-Cadillac Championship that had been played at Doral recently was headed for Detroit, where Cadillac is headquartered. (Just remember there’s still 2013.)

Judy McDermott, the long-time executive director of the Tucson Conquistadores, which hosts the WGC-Accenture Match Play, said she was “elated and relieved.’’

“Now we just need to keep it here through 2014, which was kind of the goal right from the beginning,’’ she said. “At the same time, we realize that it’s all going to stem from the Tour’s television contract that will be renegotiated next year.’’

One of the big stories surrounding this year’s tournament, besides the ascension of Martin Kaymer to No. 1 in the world and winner Luke Donald’s rise to No. 3, which gave the Europeans the Nos. 1 through 4 spots in the world rankings, was whether or not Tucson will still host the Match Play in 2012. Speculation had it moving although most felt with the current TV contract on the table it might be here for one more year.

Tucson does have a contract with the PGA Tour to host the Match Play through 2014, but as McDermott noted the contract has a clause that makes it “breakable.’’

“Who knows how it will all play out?’’ McDermott acknowledged. “As I’ve told (the Conquistadores), we can only do what we can do and make sure that every time we host the tournament we do the best job we can in case it’s the last.

“But even if we lost the Match Play, I’m very hopeful that we would still get to host a tournament on the PGA Tour.’’

Tucson is one of the oldest tournament sites on the PGA, dating back to 1945, when the Tucson Open was first contested at El Rio Golf Club. The Conquistadores have been the official host of the event since 1966, raising over $15 million for local charities.

Goodman, a former college football star at North Alabama who served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Louisville, Mississippi State and Southern Mississippi, joined the PGA Tour in 1989. Among his previous posts, he was the director for the J.C. Penney Mixed Team Championship, as well as the PGA Tour stop in Tampa Bay, Fla., most recently called the Transitions Championship.

Goodman said he got out of football and into golf after the staff at Southern Mississippi failed to win more than six games in 1987 with a freshman quarterback named Brett Favre.

“It’s funny how things work out, but a friend on that staff at Southern Mississippi went to work for the PGA Tour, and he called me and asked me if I’d like to join him,’’ the good-natured Goodman recalled. “So I took a job in the golf business and I never looked back.’’

Goodman said that one of his first gigs with the Tour came in Tucson when he was working in the marketing and promotions department as an on-site coordinator.

“I think I was there from 1989-1995, and I got to know Tucson a little bit, and I liked it,’’ he said. “What I remember most, I guess, is the last year I worked that tournament at TPC Starr Pass it snowed, just like it did during the final day of the Match Play at Dove Mountain this year.’’

Goodman said that he spent the previous four months before this year’s tournament working with Dunnagan and the staff at the Ritz-Carlton at Dove Mountain. And like McDermott, he couldn’t say if the Match Play would remain in Tucson beyond next year.

“I think the tournament is going to be in the same situation as this past year: Wait and see,’’ he said of the Match Play’s future. “We’ll just have to see how the TV contract all plays out.’’

Goodman, who will arrive in Tucson on Wednesday and be headquartered at the tournament office on Oracle Road, said he relished the move from Florida to Arizona.

“Florida can be kind of lackluster when it comes to professional golf, in that the fans have a tendency to take things for granted since they have four straight PGA events all within 200 miles of each other every year,’’ he said. “You don’t get that (lackluster) feeling in Tucson.

“Tucson (fans) and the Conquistadores, they get the economic impact, which is why the Match Play gets such solid support. Our job is to hit the ground running and be part of the community. We’d also like to get some new ticket programs out there, as well as tap into the Phoenix market a little bit more.’’

Goodman’s enthusiasm seems well-intentioned, but the question remains how long Tucson can hold on to the Match Play with its international stars, especially the Europeans, on a dramatic rise in stature? Chances are great that the answer won’t come until next year, shortly after the Tour pounds out all the details for the TV contract, which given the current economy and lower-than-average ratings, will surely lead to a revamped schedule in 2013.

In other words, stay tuned.

After winning last year’s Lorena Ochoa Invitational, South Korea’s In Kung Kim, now known as I.K. Kim, donated her entire $220,000 check to charity. It was a gesture that drew international acclaim.

This week, the LPGA is taking this unique concept a step further, as the 132 women playing in the inaugural R.R. Donnelley’s LPGA Founders Cup in Phoenix will donate the entire $1 million purse to charity.

How will it all work out, women playing for “funny money’’ at the J.W. Marriott’s Wildfire Golf Club? Will it be more of an exhibition than a tournament? Will the fact that Michelle Wie is not in the field impact the gate?

Inquiring minds want to know, but chances are great the answers won’t come until Sunday in this 54-hole tournament set to tee off Friday following a star-studded pro-am on Thursday.

The Founders Cup, which honors the 13 original founders of the LPGA, is the brainchild of Michael Whan, the relatively unproven LPGA commissioner who enters his second season at the controls of women’s golf. Granted, his players and others seem to love Whan’s enthusiasm, but the bottom line is the LPGA hasn’t gotten much better from a financial or number-of-tournaments standpoint since Whan became head of the floundering tour left on the brink of disaster by former commish Carolyn Bivens.

“One of the truly exciting things about the 2011 LPGA Tour schedule is the launch of an inaugural event that I just can’t be more excited to tell you about,’’ said the “excitable’’ Whan and only. “It’s the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup. That might sound like a mouthful, but what you’ve got to remember is ‘Founders.’

“You know, at the LPGA we sometimes we forget to look back and remember; appreciate how we got here in the first place. But it’s really pretty simple: Over 60 years ago 13 women came together with a mission. That mission was pretty simple – to empower, inspire and educate young women through the game of golf.’’

But while this new event is “pretty simple’’ for Whan, a lot of the players have yet to figure out just how this new event with its “mock purse’’ is going to shake out. And if the truth be told, there has been some criticism from the ranks even if the field, at least overall, looks solid with three of the top-five players, including Yani Tseng (No. 1), Jiyai Shin (No. 2) and Cristie Kerr (No. 5), headlining the marquee.

But the flip side of that is six of the top-10 players are missing, including Wie ( 8th) and Japanese star Ai Miyazato (6th). Wie, arguably the biggest name in women’s golf and a frequent participant in past LPGA events held in Phoenix, is reportedly taking tests at Stanford this week while gearing up for her sponsor-driven Kia Classic next week near Los Angeles.

Filling the void are players of larger ilk, American stars like Paula Creamer (No. 12), Morgan Pressel (No. 14), Christina Kim (No. 51) and Natalie Gulbis (No. 96), as well as local favorites such as Amanda Blumenherst (No. 80), Pat Hurst (No. 108) and Grace Park (not ranked), a six-time winner who hasn’t played a full season due to injuries in the past three years.

And while most of the women have endorsed the Founders Cup quite heartily, there also has been a bit of a backlash, too, with players like Creamer, Pressel and Kerr voicing their concerns before eventually joining the field. Hey, even the most generous I.K. Kim is not in this week’s field!

“It went from concept to an event on the schedule too quickly,’’ Kerr told the Golf Channel of the tournament that was first mentioned by Whan last summer, hatched in December, and unfolds this week just a little over three months in the making.

“It’s turned what was an opportunity into an obligation.’’ Say this about Kerr, the reigning queen of mean in women’s golf, she never minces words and there’s usually a lot of truth to what she has to say no matter how brutal.

But even Whan realizes he made some initial mistakes before, hopefully, getting it right with $500,000 going to the LPGA Foundation and its LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program and $500,000 to the top-10 finishers’ charities of choice.

“Did we rush it, yes, and I’m not embarrassed about it,’’ Whan told The Arizona Republic. “The idea wasn’t rushed, but like with any tournament, it starts with a corporate sponsor and that didn’t come together until December.’’

So the stage is set, and while it’s not exactly perfect, at least the LPGA is back in the Valley of the Sun after a one-year absence that broke a string of 30 consecutive tournaments dating back to the 1980 Sun City Classic.

The good news is that the field is, for the most part, stellar considering all the women can gain is monopoly money that counts in the standings, as well as a potential berth for the top three finishers who have yet to qualify for the season-ending Titleholders Championship.

And, of course, that Hall of Famers Nancy Lopez, Betsy King and Patty Sheehan will play in the Thursday pro-am as well as compete in an 18-hole exhibition that kicks off the tournament Friday at 7:15 a.m.

Oh, yes, and three of the original founders – Louise Suggs, Shirley Spork and Marilynn Smith – will be on hand to share in the festivities. Smith, an adorable octogenarian who lives in Litchfield Park, is worth the price of admission ($20) alone.

The bad news is that the players, including a bunch of rookies like local up-and-comers Kimberly Kim, Jennifer Johnson and Tucson’s Sara Brown, won’t make any money in a year where they will only get into eight or 10 tournaments on the LPGA’s very limited 24-tournament schedule. In fact, like Lopez, King and Sheehan they, too, are playing for what amounts to an exhibition money-wise.

The other bummer is that the LPGA secured public parking over at WestWorld in Scottsdale, meaning a lengthy shuttle ride in school buses for those fans that want to make the effort. You wonder if somebody forgot to check out the availability of all those vacant fields along Tatum Boulevard that are just a few minutes away from Wildfire.

There are other major questions that could go either way:

*How large will the crowds be for the week? From 2004-2009 – the first five years at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in Gold Canyon and the last one at Papago Golf Course in Phoenix – over 100,000 fans showed up for each event. But the parking and golf courses were much more accessible than what’s awaiting this week.

*Can Whan and his LPGA staff pull this off despite having just three months to get ready at a golf course that’s never hosted a pro tournament? Will the infrastructure – stands, food and drink, porta-potties, etc. – be there to support the fans that do turn out?

*Will the players be satisfied with their stay in Phoenix? Will they like competing on Wildfire, which is being blended together with the back nine from the Palmer Course (No. 1 through No. 9) and the back nine of the Faldo Course (No. 10 through No. 18)?

And then there is the biggest question mark of them all – will the LPGA return to Phoenix in 2012? At the moment, Whan’s grand plan for the Founders Cup calls for it moving back East next year to an RR Donnelley stronghold – Hershey, Pennsylvania – while bringing in a new tournament to Phoenix that is based on the availability of yet another corporate sponsor.

Once again, that’s a lot of “ifs, maybes and buts’’ for the future of the LPGA in Phoenix, a city that Whan and his crew need dearly if they are to get the LPGA back on solid ground.

My suggestion: Savor the moment and enjoy the LPGA while we can.

TUCSON – If there ever were any doubts that European golfers have surpassed their American counterparts, the results of the latest WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship reflect brilliantly on the sorry saga of U.S. demise.

England’s Luke Donald finally wins a big tournament Sunday and jumps to No. 3 in the world rankings. The guy he beats in the Match Play final at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain, Germany’s Martin Kaymer, ascends to No. 1 despite the loss.

Add Donald’s countryman, Lee Westwood, at No. 2 and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell at No 4, and the top foursome in the world will be all-Euro when the latest rankings are released Monday. It is the first time such an oddity has occurred since 1992 — or pre-Tiger.

Unbelievable? Perhaps. Disturbing? Not really, although it does bring up a couple of questions that loom rather large when it comes to this seismic shift in global golf power:

*What’s happened to Woods and Phil Mickelson, now the No. 5 and 6 players in the world? Between them they’ve won once in the past year and currently are just barely ahead of two more Euros – No. 7 Paul Casey and No. 8 Rory McIlroy – and sliding fast after early exits in Tucson.

Can what happened to the LPGA – total domination by International players coupled by a disappearance of American stars – happen to the PGA Tour? After all, of the original 64 players invited here this past week, 24 were Americans and 40 were from someplace else. By comparison, the original Match Play field in 1999 included 41 Americans and 23 Internationals.

Just check out the past year starting with last year’s Match Play Championship, an all-England final where Ian Poulter beat Casey. In fact, three of the past four Match Play champs have been Europeans, the other being Sweden’s Henrik Stenson in 2007.

Then you toss in the fact(s) that two of last year’s four majors were won by Euros, who also beat the Americans in the Ryder Cup, and, well, it is a different world we are living in golf-wise these days.

Or as NBC’s Johnny Miller so succinctly put it: “They’re doing something right over there, aren’t they!’’ And, no, he didn’t phrase it as a question.

Donald and Kaymer were clearly the class of this elite field, which might be the last Match Play Championship ever held in Tucson. The Tour, Accenture and host Tucson Conquistadores will meet in the coming weeks to decide the event’s fate. Some said this week that the tournament already was out of there for 2012, while others said it has at least another year.

If it was the final curtain for the Match Play it proved memorable, with snow blanketing Dove Mountain on Sunday morning and a hailstorm stopping play early in the afternoon with Donald in control. When play resumed, Donald did what he had done all week, he fought off his opponent through the middle of the round(s) with birdies at the 11th and 12th holes for a 2-up advantage, and ended up winning, 3 and 2. Somewhat remarkably, he never trailed at any point during the week.

For the 33-year-old Donald, his biggest victory ever was his first win on Tour since the 2006 Honda Classic. He has now won three times in America and three times on the European Tour.

“I’ve had a bit of a monkey on my back the last five years, not winning here in the U.S. But with a lot of blood and sweat we got here,’’ said Donald, who ran his individual record to 16-6 in this tournament as he stepped firmly on the world stage.

“It certainly is payback for all the hard work I’ve done. But hats off to Martin for being No. 1 in the world, I guess that makes (the victory) a little sweeter.’’

Asked how he did it, Donald, a smart kid who went to Northwestern, where he was NCAA champ, put it all in perspective: “I just don’t give many holes away and that’s important in match play.’’

With the exception of a few errant drives, Donald did everything else right as he became the first Match Play champ to win every match before it reached the final hole, going an unofficial 24 under for the 89 holes he played over five days.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,’’ he added. “Not to go to the 18th hole in any of my matches, that allowed me to go through stress-free.’’

Obviously, Kaymer, who lives in Paradise Valley when he is not in Dusseldorf, would have been in even better position had he won the $1.4 million prize instead of runner-up money of $850,000. (Oh, well!) At 26, “the Germanator’’ is the second youngest to be No. 1 in the world behind Woods, who was 22 when he went to the top.

“I just didn’t play as well as I did the last few days,’’ said Kaymer, the reigning PGA champ who became the 14th player ever to be ranked No. 1 in the world.

“I played OK, but the way Luke plays, a decent round isn’t enough. He’s a tough competitor, always difficult.’’

But asked about being No. 1 in the world and having the three other guys under him all Europeans, Kaymer smiled.

“Yes, especially to be the first is nice on the top,’’ he said mixing up his English slightly. “Yeah, of course, European golf has been great.

“For us to make golf even more popular in the world, it’s fantastic to have four Europeans up there. It was always Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and now there are four Europeans up there, so it’s good.’’

Get used to it. While nobody is rubbing the Europeans’ iron grip on the game in anybody’s face quite yet, it will become a much bigger issue by the time we get to the Masters, when that rivalry will be all the rage.

In the mid-1970s, Johnny Miller owned the Tucson Open, winning it three times in a row (1974-76) while earning the nickname “the Desert Fox.’’ Now, some 30 years later, there is a new Johnny Miller in control of the Old Pueblo’s PGA Tour event – the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

“Actually, I don’t go by Johnny. It’s John ‘E.’ Miller,’’ said this year’s tournament chairman for the host Conquistadores. “My middle initial really is ‘E,’ and I really did once upon a time meet Johnny Miller. It was kind of a funny deal, us both being Johnny Miller.‘’

Miller, the tournament chairman, grew up in Scottsdale and actually worked as a volunteer for the Phoenix Open, back in the days when Miller was dominating that tournament (1974-75), too. “I was a ‘runner’ – a kid who did whatever needed to be done – for the Thunderbirds,’’ recalled the good-natured Miller. “I was in the players’ lounge at the Phoenix Open and Johnny Miller just happened to walk in.

“I was watching him pretty closely, so he introduced himself. I still remember it like yesterday: He said, ‘Hi, I’m Johnny Miller.’ And I said, ‘Hi, I’m Johnny Miller, too.’ ’’

Both Millers will be at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Dove Mountain this week for the Match Play, which tees off Wednesday with 63 of the top 64 players on the planet (No. 64 Toru Taniguchi withdrew and was replaced by No. 65 Henrik Stenson). England’s Lee Westwood is the No. 1 seed, the fifth different No. 1 seed in the Match Play’s 13-year history.

Even the format has been tweaked to add more excitement to the weekend, Miller pointed out. The quarterfinals will be held Saturday afternoon, which pushes the semifinals to Sunday morning with the 18-hole championship and consolation matches to be contested Sunday afternoon. In the past, the championship match had been 36 holes.

“I love the Phoenix Open but my allegiance, obviously, is with our tournament here in Tucson these days, and it’s a great one,’’ said Miller, who graduated from the University of Arizona 20 years ago and never returned to the Valley of the Sun.

“It’s like an all-star game from every professional golf tour in the world. As most who follow the game will tell you, it doesn’t get any better than this.’’

Miller said the “early vibe has been a lot more exciting than the first four years we hosted the tournament. Last year we didn’t have Phil and Tiger, but it was the economy that really kind of tanked us. This year, the corporate sales are way up and we are darn near sold out.’’

According to Miller, it’s been a tough year on other fronts, with the recent shooting tragedy leaving Tucson in a stunned state of disbelief. He was unsure whether or not there would be some type of tribute to the six victims during the event.

“If we do something it will probably be something that is very Tucson, because we tend to be a very tight group,’’ he said. “The bottom line is, we’re very supportive of each other; we always have been and most people know that.

“This really is a wonderful community, very different than what happened here. And, overall, people love the tournament and know where the charitable dollars go – right here in this community – so they will rally behind it.’’

Besides the corporate uptick, Miller said the players are starting to embrace the event since its move from LaCosta in 2007.

“The (nearby) Marana airstrip has been expanded to handle the players’ private jets, and it’s less than 30 minutes from the course,’’ he pointed out. “Plus, the Ritz-Carlton and the relaxing atmosphere up here in Dove Mountain is special, and they love staying up here during the week.’’

There are 27holes of golf at the Ritz-Carlton with the Saguaro Nine being the front side and the Tortalita Nine serving as the back side of the championship course. At over 7,800 yards the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout has the ability to be a brute although the tournament has yet to be played from the tips in the two years its been played at The Ritz.

The real brute is the greens, which Nicklaus toned down after the first year the tournament. Ricky Fowler, the PGA Tour player of the year playing in his first Match Play, was the Conquistadores’ featured guest for a recent media day when defending champ Ian Poulter was unavailable.

“Ricky got to play the course a couple of times while he was here and he definitely figured it out quickly,’’ Miller reported. “He said there are certain areas of the green that you have to play to regardless where the pin is positioned.’’

With greens that are superfast and running at about 13 on the Stimpmeter, just reaching the putting surface won’t guarantee a par or birdie, as the entire course is built on a 45-degree slope with about 300 feet of elevation from top to bottom.

Such an extreme terrain has had its critics, but Miller said the overall input from the sponsor, Accenture, has been positive. “Overall, I think they’re generally happy. At the same time, I know there have been some rumblings,’’ Miller said about rumors that the Tour and sponsor had been discussing a move. “But with our weather and this great golf course and hotel, we’re proud of how it’s been going lately.’’

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain certainly is scenic, with literally a forest of saguaros defining the course as well as mountain backdrops in every direction. And just for a little added touch of Mother Nature, a herd of wild burros is sometimes seen roaming along the outskirts, a tall metal fence along the course’s northern border keeping the small, fuzzy beasts from doing any damage.

Miller said the Conquistadores have even borrowed a little bit of the Phoenix Open – a corporate tent city — to create added excitement.

“The Walter Hagen Club (13th hole) is always jammin’ and the Canyon Club (Nos. 15 and 16) is our answer to the Thunderbirds’ version of the Greenskeeper,’’ Miller said. “Plus, we’ve got a great venue in the Oasis Club (Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7), which is always a great place of interest.’’

Miller even has insider info for those visiting from the Valley: “This is my tip for people who are coming down from Phoenix: Wednesday is the best day of golf for the week, as the 64 best players in the world will all be on display in 32 matches that will be filled with exciting shots and twists of fate.’’

Oh, yes, and there was one more idea the Conquistadores borrowed from the Birds. “For the first time since the Match Play came here, we’re going to have a 19th hole called the “After Party,’’ Miller said of an old Bashas store that has been converted to party central at the entrance of Dove Mountain Parkway.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a blast. In fact, we’ve even brought back Duck Soup.’’

AND THE WINNER IS . . . KAYMER

Brackets were unveiled Sunday for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, with Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Martin Kaymer grabbing the top seeds in the Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Sam Snead brackets, respectively. The biggest deal there was that even though Westwood is the No. 1 overall seed, he didn’t necessarily get a break with the bracket or his first-round opponent.

Westwood’s luck took a twist when Japan’s Toru Taniguchi, originally his first-round opponent, withdrew with an injury and was replaced by Sweden’s Henrik Stenson. Yes, the same big Swede who won this tournament when it was played at the nearby Gallery in 2007.

The rest of Jones bracket doesn’t exactly favor Westwood, either. It is solid from No. 2 seed Steve Stricker all the way through No. 15 seed Matteo Manassero, the 17-year-old Italian who is one of three teen-agers in the field along with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa (19) and Seung-yul Noh (19).

Mickelson also has a tough road to hoe in the Hogan bracket, with possible early-round potholes like defending champ Ian Poulter; 2010 rookie of the year Rickie Fowler; Graeme McDowell, the U.S. Open champ who arguably was the player of the year last season; and Alvaro Quiros, who recently knocked off Westwood and a star-studded marquee in Dubai.

The same could be said of Woods, the big gun in the Snead bracket who has the unenviable task of taking on Thomas Bjorn, a recent winner in Qatar, in the first round. There are other great risks for the three-time Match Play champ, like two-winner Geoff Ogilvy; big-hitting Dustin Johnson, who seems tailor-made for the Ritz; another bomber in Bubba Watson; and the only double winner in 2011, Mark Wilson. And that’s just the TOP HALF of the bracket!

Which means your winner, at least among the favored top seeds, might very well be Martin Kaymer, the Paradise Valley resident via Germany. Kaymer gets the untested Noh in the first round of the Player bracket, which also has a bunch of unheralded opponents like the Japanese tandem of Hiroyuki Fujita and Yuta Ikeda. That, and the fact that Jim Furyk, Adam Scott and Sean O’Hair have been shadows of themselves lately, bodes well for Kaymer.

If you’re looking for a long shot(s), Hunter Mahan has the kind of streaky game that match play seems to favor, and Paul Casey, the English lad who lives in Scottsdale, also seems to flourish in the mano y mano format.

The first signs of trouble for the Waste Management Phoenix Open came when the weather forecast called for temperatures in the 20s with highs in the low 50s – the coldest temps in 25 years at the TPC Scottsdale. Then Wednesday’s pro-am was canceled by frost on the greens and frigid temperatures. How many of the 100 or so entry fees were actually returned was never made public.

But at $9,500 per player, it could have been upwards of $1 million if everybody wanted their money back. If that wasn’t enough of a blow to the “Greenest Show on Grass,’’ the first and second rounds of the tournament experienced never-before-seen frost delays totaling 4 hours and 3 hours, respectively. Hey, according to the PGA, the ground under the greens was frozen solid and to make matters worse, the tundra wouldn’t thaw out. Along with those delays came cold and winds that kept the crowds down significantly for the first three days. Ultimately, 365,062 fans braved the elements for the week, the smallest number since 1993. If that wasn’t enough, it marked the third straight year that attendance declined from a record of 538,356 in 2008 putting charity donations in jeopardy.

All the crummy weather and delays – and bad news — also added up to nonstop play and a sense of wonderment — “What’s going on here?” — for Saturday and Sunday, creating continuous action that was hard to figure out and follow on the leader board. That’s because Thursday’s opening round ended Saturday morning, Friday’s second round ended Saturday night, when the cut was finally made. The third round was played Sunday morning, and they never re-paired for the final 18 holes, as the leaders came back Monday with six holes still to play.

When the “tournament that would not end’’ finally drew to a conclusion at about 11:30 a.m. Monday, the mild-mannered Mark Wilson – the best putter left standing — was your winner. But not before the journeyman from Chicago via Wisconsin – yeah, a cheesehead who loves the world champion Packers — had beaten another somewhat unheralded player, Jason Dufner, with a birdie on the second hole of sudden death.

The finish was almost as bizarre as the week, as the guy who had led the tournament through 66 holes, including after rounds 1, 2 and 3, Tommy “Two Gloves’’ Gainey, imploded at the always dicey 17th hole with two shots into the water that were as hard to watch for his new-found followers as “Two Gloves” himself.

Say this about Gainey, who has become the “new Boo’’ of professional golf: He tells it like it is. Asked about his play over the first three rounds, the country bumpkin from Bishopville, S.C., said what many had felt for the entire week. “All the days just seem to keep fallin’ together,’’ Gainey observed. “I don’t even know what day it is myself!’’

A very un-Phoenix Open-like 13,300 fans showed up for the last six holes on Monday, which had a bit of a playoff feel to them right from the get-go – or even before it actually went to a playoff. All Wilson, who entered the final day two shots in front of Gainey, Dufner and Vijay Singh, had to do was par the last seven and make an eight-foot birdie at the second playoff hole (No. 10) to win for the second time in three outings this season.

Wilson, who did post all four rounds in the 60s including a final-round 69 (the first player to do so since J.B. Holmes in 2006), pushed his season winnings to over $2 million with his winning total of 18-under 266. But if you had been watching from the very beginning, the real story was Gainey, who earned just $164,700 after his meltdown dropped him into a tie for eighth place – a mistake that cost him at least $250,000.

As for Two Gloves’ decision to go with his driver rather than a fairway wood at the 300-yard 17th, you really couldn’t blame him. Hey, he hadn’t come all the way from “Minitour City’’ in the early 2000s, the “Big Break’’ in 2005 and then the Nationwide Tour in 2010, just to lay-up here, what with opportunity knocking.

But after Gainey overcooked the drive, which hit a hazard stake and bounded back into the drink on the left side of the short par 4, he should have tried something different (like putting) rather than trying to chip his third shot off a steep bank, a disastrous move that caused the ball to pop up into the air, catch the bank and slide back into the water. When the carnage was over, his scorecard read “7.’’

If he wasn’t thinking quite clearly, well, you really can’t blame that on “Two Gloves.’’ After all these were uncharted waters for Gainey, who had never led a PGA event in any round let alone three in a row.

“I played good. I was in contention. I had a shot to win the tournament,’’ noted the 35-year-old Gainey, who ended up with a disappointing 74, or four shots out of the playoff.

“To get a bad break like I got at 17 — a drop on the side hill — I was worried about the ball rolling back in the water instead of trying to hit the shot. I probably hit it a little too quick. I didn’t take my time. . . . ’’

Yes, things were going out of control, at least in Two Gloves’ head. But give him credit for trying to find the positive in all the negative that seemed to hang over the ending like a big, dark cloud.

“Next time it’ll be a little different story,’’ promised Gainey. “I’m a little pissed, but you’ve got to win with class and you’ve got to lose with class, so I’m trying to deal with that right now.’’

Chances are most who ventured out to the TPC Scottsdale last week will remember this tournament as the one Tommy “Two Gloves’’ lost rather than the one Mr. Wilson won. That, and the tournament having the worst weather at the TPC Scottsdale in the 25 years it’s been played there — and maybe (hopefully) forever. That’s no knock on Wilson or the Phoenix Open or the TPC, mind you. It’s just the way it works in the fickle world we call golf.

Phil Mickelson really is “Phil the Thrill,’’ especially in the big eye of CBS. At least you would think so after David Feherty gushingly glossed over Lefty’s calculated “lay-up’’ on the last hole in San Diego, thus literally handing the Farmers Insurance Open to one Bubba Watson on Sunday.

Knowing it was elementary, that he needed to make eagle 3 to tie Doctor Watson, and from just a little over 220 yards out, no less, Phil seemed to chicken out and ended up bumping two wedges to within 4 feet of the cup for a worthless birdie. It was almost comical as his caddie, Jim Mackay, tended the pin for Phil from a little over 70 yards out on the critical shot, like the Mickster was going to hole out or something!

And this from a guy who won last year’s Masters with a gut-check 4-iron from out of the pines on the final hole of Amen Corner! It makes Sunday’s submissive strategy against Watson even harder to fathom.

Not that Feherty ever stopped golly-geeing about Mickelson’s magic and how he keeps it exciting until the very end. Thank goodness there are still a few newspaper reporters in the media, and a very good one at the San Diego Union-Tribune in Tod Leonard.

Asked about his rationale for not letting Watson putt out so he would know exactly what to do at the final hole in question, Mickelson flipped the inquiry around and praised Watson. It’s called a misdirection answer, a common counter move often used by the pros.

“Bubba played too good,’’ he said of Watson’s closing, 5-under 67 that got the Scottsdale resident to 16 under, or one shot in front of Mickelson, the “homey’’ from nearby Rancho Santa Fe who closed with a 69.

“He made shot after shot, putt after putt. It was a wonderful round for him.’’

He’s right, Bubba was true to his nature as he aggressively swung away and never bagged his driver till he pulled out of the parking lot at Torrey. In the meantime, Mickelson had been playing conservative golf even before Sunday’s final round unraveled, a move that had been supported for the most part by the CBS crew, which partially explained the no-call at the end.

Asked his reasoning for screaming “Uncle’’ on his third shot at 18, Lefty replied: “I had 227 (yards) to carry (the water). If I hit a hybrid, the ball would have come out dead, so I wouldn’t have made it over the water. But the way my 3-iron is, the ball would have come out and went screaming over (the green).’’

Believe it or not, and despite the staggering odds against it, Mickelson argued that his best bet was to lay up and then try to hole his 64-degree wedge from a mere 72 yards out. Asked when the last time “Bones,’’ as Mackay is known, was asked to tend a pin on a shot from the fairway, Mickelson didn’t duck the hard ball that grazed his chin.

“Well, (the shot) is going to have a chance,’’ he countered. “About 10, 12, 14 times a year, I hit the pin.’’

And the odds of that happening on the 72nd hole at tenacious Torrey Pines in the final round of a PGA tournament with over $1 million on the line?

“I’m not sure,’’ he said of the one-in-a-million prayer. “Obviously, you need to hit a great shot and you need some luck.  I’m not naïve on that. I get it.’’

Apparently not, Lefty. The guys at CBS might have been “oohing and aahing’’ like they usually do when it comes to Mickelson’s incredible repertoire of shots, but the rest of us weren’t buying the white flag this time around.

The only thing I can say for Mickelson: At least he’s honest. Like when somebody asked him if he was feeling the sting of defeat more than the positive vibes he got from his runner-up finish, there was a moment of clarity.

“Little of both. You want me to elaborate,’’ he said, clearing the intense air with a few laughs from his media-laden gallery.

“I’m disappointed because I wanted to start the year off with a win,’’ he said. “I wanted to get some momentum early on the West Cast. But on the other hand, I played really good golf and gave myself an opportunity. I played well on Sunday and had a good tournament. I’ll use this as a springboard for next week.’’

That’s what’s weird: I believe that’s exactly what he’ll do. Even though with Phil you never really know for sure, I think his third win at the TPC Scottsdale this week, which would mark three different decades as a champion here, is just a shout away.

The field isn’t overly fierce, with only four players in the top 20 of the world rankings, and only 18 in the top 50. Besides, Phil’s the only guy in the top 10 (No. 5) even if defending champ Hunter Mahan, rookie Jhonattan Vegas, bomber Dustin Johnson and Bubba all look like they’re playing brilliantly as they make their way to Scottsdale.

Yes, this Phoenix Open looks like it’s shaping up nicely to turn out as yet another left-handed compliment. Having lived in the Valley during the 1990s and hung out plenty over the past 10 years at Grayhawk and Whisper Rock, this certainly is familiar territory for the Thrill.

The only question that lingers: Has Mickelson recovered from that one-hole knockout delivered by J.B. Holmes three years ago at the Phoenix Open? You remember the haymaker, when Holmes belted a monster drive on the 18th hole and made birdie while Mickelson bunted a fairway wood down the middle for and ensuing par, another conservative move that turned out to be sudden death.

Which was, basically, what Phil avoided Sunday when he got it over early and secured second place. Hey, we love Phil just like everybody else, but you have to call a spade a spade, especially when it digs its own hole.

As soon as Arizona hosts the Waste Management Phoenix Open (Feb. 3-6) in Scottsdale followed by the WGC-Accenture World Match Play Championship (Feb. 23-27) in Tucson, professional golf in the desert as we know it will take a huge twist with the all-new RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup in Phoenix (March 18-20).

Earlier this month, LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan announced that the Founders Cup would bring the women’s game back to the Valley of the Sun after a one-year absence. The tournament, Whan informed us, would honor the original 13 Founders of the LPGA, which dates back to 1950, and that the charity for the event will be the LPGA-USGA Girls Clubs.

Oh, yes, and there would be a $1.3 million “mock’’ purse, meaning none of the players would get paid to play at Wildfire’s Faldo Golf Course, although expenses and rooms at the adjacent J.W. Marriott Resort & Spa would be picked up for players and caddies.

At the time of Whan’s announcement, he was asked how the players would react to basically teeing it up for “free’’? Being a professional spin doctor, the always-energetic Whan said his legions gave him a standing ovation when he first brought up the unique format last summer during a players’ meeting. And, yes, the top players will all be in Phoenix this spring, he promised.

Now, in the aftermath of his eloquent gesture, there are those who are questioning Whan’s idea even if some – well, the vast majority –don’t want to go on the record. Seriously, what player would speak out against a charity or the tradition established by the original 13 Founders, “to leave the game better than they found it’’? No, this is a head-scratcher where almost everybody will fall in line silently but totally perplexed.

Kristy McPherson, who is in that elite player category, did tell Golfweek that she doesn’t mind the idea of giving the purse back to charity, as long as she gets a little say in what charity gets the dough. Annika Sorenstam, the retired legend who still gets asked her opinion whenever possible, had this to say when Golfweek asked if she was supportive of the plan: “Not every decision requires 100 percent approval’’ of the LPGA council.

So whether or not this move to add a “mock’’ purse to Phoenix is a good one remains to be seen. Chances are the players would have been a lot more supportive had the LPGA added a few more tournaments to the schedule for 2011. As it stands, the LPGA lost two events from 2010 and gained three for this season, although it ended up being a “push’’ considering the players won’t get paid for the new Phoenix event.

If I was a player, I certainly would not be impressed with what Whan has planned for 2011. Prize money is flat at $44 million, the average purse is $1.75 million, and only 13 of the 25-tournament schedule will be played here in the U.S., meaning travel expenses continue to rise. By comparison, the PGA Tour’s war chest this year is $288 million with an average purse of $6 million.

Breaking it down a little further, only 70 players made $100,000 or more last year on the LPGA, with only eight topping $1 million. On the PGA Tour side of the ledger, 207 players earned more that $100,000 with 90 eclipsing $1 million. And, by the way, it takes about $100,000 a year just for a player’s expenses.

Of course, LPGA players won’t have to worry about expenses in Phoenix, as it’s one of the perks, along with “official money’’ (an odd phrase since there isn’t any) and Rolex player of the year points. The top three Founders finishers (who haven’t previously qualified) also will get into another new tournament, the Countdown to the Titleholders, a season-ending event that will feature the LPGA’s richest first prize — $500,000. Again, by comparison, most of the PGA Tour’s 40-some tournaments pay out $1 million or more.

So the question becomes: is the timing for the Founders Cup and its “mock’’ purse way off base? And is this just a band-aid to take away the “ouch’’ for the players as well as Phoenix?

You see, there are other things that will make the Founders Cup way different than anything else ever before seen in the desert. Like it’s probably going to be here for only one year. That’s right, the title sponsor, RR Donnelley, a printing and digital solutions company based back East, would like to move the tournament to where most of its employees and there families are located, chiefly in New York and Pennsylvania.

Even though Whan said there is some “flexibility’’ in when and if the tournament is moved, it apparently is one year and out with high hopes of attracting yet another title sponsor for yet another new LPGA tournament in Phoenix. The hope is that if we do get another corporate entity to cough up some bucks– this would be the ninth different LPGA tournament in the Valley dating back to the Sun City Classic in 1980 – we get a “real’’ purse and it’s lucrative.

Hey, the hard-working women of the LPGA deserve it. And for that matter, so do the golf fans that live in Arizona.