Bob's Blog

Story and links: Big day for the SCGA

Yesterday was a REALLY big day for the SCGA.

• Bob Lowe was elected as the 83rd SCGA president at the annual meeting. My former boss, Tom Morgan, received the Lynn Smith Award and Bill Woolfolk was named winner of the Jim House Award. MORE
• The inaugural class of six golfers — stretching nearly the entire breadth of the SCGA's 108-year history — was inducted into the SCGA Hall of Fame at a lunch following the annual meeting. MORE
• One of the all-time nicest and brightest people in the game of golf, Jim Veron, was nominated to be USGA president. Jim was SCGA president in 1987 and serves on the SCGA Foundation board. He will be just the second SCGA member ever to serve as USGA president (John Clock of Virginia CC was USGA president in 1960-61). Jay Rains of San Diego was nominated as a vice president. MORE

HEADS UP: It's a big week at the USGA

Expect several major announcements from the United States Golf Association this week. The first was the announcement that George "Buddy" Marucci will return in 2009 as U.S. Walker Cup captain (below).

Story: Marucci to lead '09 U.S. Walker Cup team

Operating on the theory that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, the USGA will bring back George "Buddy" Marucci as captain of the 2009 U.S. Walker team in 2009. Marucci — a 55-year-old career amateur — was captain of the 2007 squad that secured an exciting one-point victory over a 10-man squad from Great Britain and Ireland in September at Royal County Down Golf Club in Northern Ireland.

The next Walker Cup Match will be played at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., Marucci’s home club, from Sept. 12-13, 2009. The GBI team will again be captained by Colin Dagliesh, so it's a rematch of captains.

Who knows, maybe Buddy will even learn to smile.

Story and link: What a Trip!

Trip Kuehne apparently has gotten the hang of winning USGA trophies. Last month, he was on the winning U.S. team in the 41st Walker Cup, the first time Kuehne has appeared on a winning side. Two weeks later, he was part of the Texas team that won the USGA State Team Championship, and today he won the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship with a 9 & 7 thumping of Dan Whitaker in the 36-hole finale at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. MORE