Golf Channel Reporter Rich Lerner is in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL this week for THE PLAYERS. The final three holes at TPC Sawgrass are built for drama and that finish is the thing that makes THE PLAYERS so special. Also, the field is so strong and truly contains the biggest number of great players in the world of golf year after year.
Lerner thinks that Peter Alliss’ acceptance speech at the World Golf Hall of Fame may go down as the greatest speech in induction ceremony. Alliss is someone who has always been eloquent with his words while being a bit risqué with some of his comments. At the age of 80, he has the ability to say what he would like and he certainly did that by concluding a great speech by extending a middle finger which left the normally quiet crowd loudly cheering.
The best story in golf right now in his opinion is Rickie Fowler. Fowler has tapped into all that is cool about being young and taking the attitude to the game of golf which has been tied to a much older and much more conservative image. Fowler has been criticized as being style but no substance because it has taken him a long time to win but now that he has won, the substance is starting to catch up to the style. It is also true that he is not afraid of the spotlight and he wants to be playing under pressure to win whether it is a tournament or the Ryder Cup.
