Big Easy Golf (not Ernie)
I was actually rooting for Charles Howell... I know, why am I rooting for someone with "III" at the end of his name instead of a regular joe like Jerry Kelly? It's mainly due to his getting a lot of guff from the analysts on TV lately about his approach to the game, that he's too technical with his game and should play more by feel. Well, that's fine to say once, but they keep asking the poor guy almost every week, and it seems to be getting old. I will say that when you see his swing in slow motion, you wonder how he doesn't win every time he tees it up. It's just a beautiful swing... meanwhile, he loses to Jerry Kelly, whose homemade swing is put together these days with bailing wire and Advil.
When all is said and done, I wonder if Chuck the III will regret his decision on how to play the par 4 16th hole. It's a short par 4, and they moved up the tees to only 295 yards on Sunday. there's a lot of risk... water all down one side, and the other side is humps and bumps like crazy. Yet, most players were bombing it down there and doing well, and Gary McCord questioned Howell III's decision to lay up off the tee. I guess it's easy to question it now, after he airmails the green with a wedge and barely makes par. He could have really put the win to rest by being aggressive there, of course he also could have hit it in the water and flopped. I still think he will sleep poorly tonight wondering if he should have hit a driver.
The course, after opening 4 or 5 years ago to mediocre reviews, seems to be winning over the players and critics. A latter-day Pete Dye, it's open to the public, and at $100 in the off-season, it may be the cheapest course to play that is a PGA stop . The good thing is, it's only about a 25 minute drive from the French Quarter, so if you're down on Bourbon street, check it out.
