Langer relishes the challenges that course presents
THE WOODLANDS — The Woodlands Country Club’s Tournament Course routinely draws great reviews from the Insperity players. Bernhard Langer, who has twice won championships on it, said the layout and the conditions suit him well if “I play well with all the clubs in my bag. A lot of water comes into play, and it plays a lot harder than it looks. The greens are usually fast, which I enjoy.
“No. 14 is a very tough par 3 over water with a smallish green, a tough green. Then you have good finishing holes (Nos. 17 and 18), both with water in play. And 18 is a pretty lengthy par 4 (442 yards) with wind and water all along the right side and short of the green.
“I’ve always loved the golf course, and I like coming (to The Woodlands). It’s a very well-run tournament with some good restaurants and great practice facilities. I have a very good friend I stay with. That’s much more enjoyable than being in a hotel.”
Daly would love to alter a few rules
John Daly, not surprisingly, believes the Champions Tour “would be a lot more fun if we were a little more edgy.” Which is to say if he were in charge of making the rules, he would allow “anchoring,” free drops from fairway divots and the players being allowed as many as 17 clubs in their bag.
“We’re not getting world ranking points on this tour,” Daly said, “so let’s have some fun. Who cares (if we anchor)? Our tour got killed on this thing. We’re 50 years or older. We should have more fun. I know it probably won’t change much, but that’s just kind of the way I feel.”
How do Tour officials respond to his suggestions?
“At least they’re nice enough to say thank you for your input,” Daly said.
By the way, he won’t apologize for being allowed to ride in golf carts, one big concession the ruling bodies have made to the senior players.
“As banged up as a lot of us (are),” Daly said, “I don’t feel bad at all riding in a cart any chance I get.”
Sorenstam to join Nicklaus, Player
Annika Sorenstam becomes the first woman to tee it up in the 3M Greats of Golf on Saturday when she partners with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player in the annual 18-hole exhibition that’s held in conjunction with the Insperity.
The three World Golf Hall of Fame members will play a scramble format against three other teams made up of Tom Weiskopf, David Graham and Tony Jacklin; Dave Stockton, Larry Nelson and Hale Irwin; and Fuzzy Zoeller, Charles Coody and Bill Rogers. They will start at 11:40 a.m. Sorenstam won 72 times (with 10 major titles) on the LPGA Tour and earned Player of the Year 10 times before retiring in 2008. This month marks the 15-year anniversary of her also becoming the first woman to compete in a PGA Tour event, the Colonial in Fort Worth.
Odds and ends
The Insperity Invitational is giving 50 of Montgomery County’s first-responders who were involved in assisting area residents during Hurricane Harvey the opportunity to watch the golf each day from a private viewing tent overlooking the 17th green and the 18th tee box. … John Daly will take on 12 Houston-area qualifiers in the “Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Daly Dozen Grip-It-and Rip It Long Drive Competition” on the driving range after Friday’s first round is completed. Fuzzy
Zoeller, the former Masters and U.S. Open champion, will emcee the event. Each challenger gets three tries to out-drive Daly. Whomever hits the ball the farthest — and the drive surpasses Daly’s best — will win a trip for two to the 2018 Indy 500 with seats in Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka suite for the race. …
The Astros’ 2017 World Series championship trophy will be on display from 2-4 p.m. Saturday in the Fan Experience area adjacent to the 18th fairway. Fans can have their pictures taken with it. Admission to the course is free with parking available at Woodforest National Bank Stadium. … The tournament will be televised on the Golf Channel all three days. It will be shown Friday from 5-7 p.m. on tape-delay, but the final two rounds Saturday and Sunday will be telecast live from 2-4:30 p.m.