STOP ME IF you’ve heard this one: an American, an Irishman, a South African and a German walk into a bar . . .
And outside the bar, another American, Dustin Johnson, looks in on the four major champions of the 2010 golf season with a great deal of envy.
Allow me to add my own thoughts about what transpired during the final regulation hole of the 2010 PGA Championship.
I’m glad it didn’t happen at Sahalee during the U.S. Senior Open.
Pete and Alice Dye’s bunker-heavy Whistling Straits is now forever tarnished from what transpired.
No golf course ever wants to hear that its design is silly, or indulgent, and I’ve heard both words used to describe the makeup of a course with 967 bunkers.
There’s been no talk of taking the 2015 PGA Championship or 2020 Ryder Cup away from Whistling Straits but I bet there are some changes made to the course’s makeup.
Play hand you’re dealt
Johnson thought he had hit his ball onto a dirt trail 30 to 40 yards away and close to where spectators were standing on No. 18.
He had no idea it was an official bunker when he set his club on the ground to play the ball, which is against the rules when playing from a bunker.
The penalty cost Johnson a place in the playoff.
Johnson certainly handled the situation well but what was he going to do?
Erupt in anger, cursing the officials and throwing things in the clubhouse?
That wouldn’t get him back out on the course for the playoff. It wouldn’t ease his frustration.
The die was cast, Rubicon crossed, insert line from “Julius Caesar” here.
Instead, he summoned all the humility he had available and accepted a pronouncement that while unjust and unpopular, was well within the rules of the game.
It was a rule that the tournament organizers had known was going to come into play and had made sure to mention at the top of the rules sheet for the event.
Steve Elkington even said in a radio interview Monday that a note on the special bunker rule was taped to the back of the doors in the men’s room toilet stalls.
Johnson said Sunday that he had never read the sheet.
He had asked for an interpretation from rules official David Price on bunker questions on No. 14 and No. 16.
Price asked him before the second shot on No. 18 if he needed anything.
Johnson just wanted the crowd moved.
It’s just an incredibly unfortunate, and I believe, inadvertent mistake.
I have a feeling Johnson and his newfound fan club will bounce back.
He’s got a great chance to help the USA’s cause at the upcoming Ryder Cup.
Builders’ tourney
The North Peninsula Building Association will hold its golf tournament at Peninsula Golf Club in Port Angeles on Friday.
The public is welcome to register and play in the event.
Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
The cost is $90 per person, which includes golf cart and lunch.
Lunch only is $15 per person if not golfing.
Registration forms can be picked up at Peninsula Golf Club, 824 S. Lindberg Road; at Hartnagel Building Supply; Angeles Millwork and Lumber Co., Inc.; Thomas Building Supply; and at the association office at 3430 E. U.S. Highway 101, Suite No. 1, at the Midway Business Center.
Registration forms can be found at www.npba.info or phone 360-452-8160 or e-mail npba@olypen.com.
First Federal is helping out with sponsorship, and Sound Community Bank is the spirit sponsor for the tourney.
Teams and sponsors are encouraged to participate in this year’s theme, “Fun in the Sun.”
Prizes will be awarded to the team and hole sponsor, including finest dressed, best decorated cart and most spirited hole sponsorship.
Soroptimist scramble
Soroptimist of Port Townsend/East Jefferson County will hold its Scramble for Service golf tournament at Discovery Bay Golf Club in Port Townsend on Saturday.
The tournament benefits foster families.
The mixed scramble will have divisions, including a high school group.
Cost for the tournament is $275 for a foursome, which includes cart, appetizers and lunch. The price for a single is $75.
Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. with the tourney starting at 1 p.m.
Players will have the chance to compete for a $15,000 hole-in-one prize.
Registration forms are available at www.soroptimistpt.org/golf.htm or by phone at 360-379-1602.
Get in the game
The $500,000 Hole-in-One Challenge heated up again during last weekend’s mini-heat wave.
I was lucky, I missed the heat while charter fishing on the cool and foggy Oregon coast.
The event — a fundraiser for the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Olympic Medical Center Foundation — gives participants a shot at banking $500,000 offered by 7 Cedars Casino, Elwha River Casino, MV Coho ferry and First Federal.
The competition is open Fridays and Saturdays until Saturday, Sept. 4, at Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course, SunLand Golf & Country Club and SkyRidge Golf Course, all in Sequim, and Peninsula Golf Club.
The final event will be held at Peninsula on Sept. 10.
Businesses and nonprofit organizations are welcome to volunteer as a group, with three to four people needed at a time from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (unless otherwise specified).
Promotional materials can be set up and giveaways conducted during the event by the volunteer groups.
For more information, call Russ Veenema at 360-452-2363 (ext. 13) or e-mail russ@portangeles.org.
Big Blue benefit
The Chimacum Big Blue Booster Club will hold its Penny Creek Invitational at Discovery Bay Golf Club on Sept. 11.
Proceeds benefit Cowboys athletics.
The four-person scramble begins with registration at noon. Play kicks off at 1 p.m.
Cost is $100 per person with greens fee, a boxed lunch and a dinner-and-drinks coupon thrown in.
The event will include a long-drive competition, KP’s, team prizes, raffle prizes, mulligans and “buy-a-drive.”
Event sponsorship is available.
For more information, call Sabrina Hathaway at 360-437-9653 or 360-531-0461, or e-mail hathaway@cablespeed.com.
Hoops scramble
SkyRidge Golf Course will hold a four-man, 18-hole scramble benefit for Sequim girls basketball at 2 p.m. on Aug. 28.
Cost is $40 per person, with carts an optional $20, and lunch $5 more.
There’s no need to pre-register. Just show up on time to play.
SkyRidge will host the annual Washington State University North Olympic Cougar Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 29.
This is a four-person scramble with a 1 p.m. shotgun start.
Cost is $50 per person and includes a barbecue lunch before play, range balls, prizes and KP’s.
You don’t have to be affiliated with the school to participate.
For more information, phone SkyRidge at 360-683-3673 or Peninsula Golf Club pro Chris Repass, a Cougar alumni himself, at 360-457-6501.
U.S. Amateur
The 2010 U.S. Amateur tees it up starting on Monday at Chambers Bay in University Place and the Home Course in DuPont.
Play continues on both courses on Tuesday before the final 64 advance to play the match play portion of the tournament on Wednesday through Sunday.
I’ll have more on the event next week.
Also, I will have information on the club champions for some of our North Olympic Peninsula courses.
Results from three club championships can be found on Page B2 of today’s editions.
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Michael Carman is the golf columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. He can be reached at 360-417-3527 or at pdngolf@gmail.com.