Irwin on Phil: Jack, Arnie wouldn't have played Pings
A few years ago I asked Nick Faldo to name the best ball-striker he'd ever seen. I expected him to say Hogan, Nicklaus or Woods. He said Hale Irwin. Faldo's eyes lit up. "I once saw him hit a one-yard draw," Faldo told me. "A one-yard draw. On purpose!"
On Monday I spent some time with the game's greatest ball-striker (according to Nick) on the range at Paradise Valley Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. While most Tour pros speak with all the candor of a White House press secretary, the three-time U.S. Open champion -- fit and trim at 64 -- simply speaks his mind. A highlight from our talk, starting with McCarron vs. Mickelson:
Scott McCarron called Phil Mickelson's use of square-grooved Ping Eye2s the same as cheating. What's your take on the great groove controversy of 2010?
I think [Scott] should reserve a statement like that for the back room, if at all. I've emailed the commissioner [Tim Finchem] about this [the rule allowing use of Ping Eye2s]. We should all be playing on the same playing field and let talent be the determination of performance, not grooves. His email back to me was that they're addressing that.
But aren't the Tour's hands tied because of the 1990 lawsuit settlement that came after Ping sued the USGA?
If that's the case, then we're being run by a lawyer, not by a commissioner. If that's the case, let's fire Finchem and hire an attorney. What disappoints me about the players [using the Ping wedges] is that they're finding this loophole to go around the rule.
So you would never play these Pings, even though they're legal?
No. My conscience wouldn't let me. At the same time, I would never say that a guy is cheating. There are times to keep one's mouth shut. It can't be cheating if it's allowed in the rules. But can you say it's against the spirit of the rules? Yeah. I think it is. In my era, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, in the spirit of competition, would not have [played Ping Eye2s]. But we play in a different time. To circumvent the rules by playing old grooves is going outside the spirit of competition. Phil doesn't need to do that.
On another topic, what was your reaction as the Tiger Woods scandal unfolded late last year?
Maybe I'm dealing in old standards of what was proper conduct, but I was shocked. Surprised and shocked.
If you had to bet your house on it, as things stand today, will Tiger pass Jack's record of 18 major wins?
Hmmm [Pauses for ... seven, eight, nine seconds]. As of right now?
Yes.
That's hard to say, because we don't know how he's gonna emerge from this, if he does emerge. Prior to this [scandal], I would have said, "Most likely." Now, there's hesitation because we don't know how this will affect him. He's been propped up on this gigantic pedestal since he was a little kid, and now there's this huge tumble. Can he right himself, and put himself back in that position again? I don't know him well enough to answer. I do know Jack, and if Jack says Tiger will break the record, I believe him. But I don't know Tiger at all.
(Photo: Darren Carroll/SI)
