Gentlemen,
Despite the fact that the calendar has just turned to December and
thoughts are focused on Hannukah, Christmas, Vegas and wedding plans (Dan's,
not mine) it has become abundantly clear in recent e-mails and conversations
that the Myrtle Beach Birdie Championship has become bigger than ever, so
big, in fact, that MBBC Fever is no longer relegated to the beginning of the
summer, but is now a year long affliction for all players. The 2004 MBBC is
now more than nine months away, but planning has already begun, and there
are two significant changes in the upcoming Championship. The first change
is a change in the host hotel for the players. After spending 6 of the
7 years at the Mystic Sea Hotel, the MBBCGA and representatives for the
hotel were unable to work out a contract extension. The MBBCGA gave
the Mystic Sea until December 1, to renew the contract, but the Mystic Sea
refused, and early indications are that the MBBCGA has already entered into
negotiations with Holiday Inn Express. While this may seem like a
minor change, there are significant differences that could have an affect on
the MBBC. The players are negotiating the new contract having never seen the
rooms, and there is always concern that the players will be stuck with one
bed. In addition, the players will miss out on roofball and the weenie
roast. The players will also not have the convenience of the Mystic Sea
Convenience Store which was previously located directly across the street
from the players' hotel. It is also unknown what kind of wake-up
service the Holiday Inn has, and there is always the chance that one of the
players will "offend the wake-up guy." (Seinfeld reference for those who
didn't catch it... Paul) Finally, it is widely rumored that the Holiday Inn
Express is the preferred hotel for lesbians, and given the players' previous
involvement with lesbians, and the hotel's proximity to Broadway By the
Beach, there are indications that this could be the Year of Many Pukes,
which inevitably leads to bad play the next morning. The other major
change for this year's tournament is that the odds are no longer being
offerred by the MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Again the MBBCGA
was unable to reach a contract extension with the hotel, and has instead
given the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino the exclusive right to post
odds on the 2004 MBBC. And so in the wake of the recent MBBC Fall
Classic and several warm-up rounds, the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino
is proud to present the opening lines for the 2004 Myrtle Beach Birdie
Championship.
Scott Woods: 1-1
In posting its first odds for the championship, the Flamingo has made
the defending champion the favorite. Many would think that the
Flamingo is showing its inexperience in setting MBBC odds, and has only made
Woods the favorite because of his history as a five-time winner of the
championship. However, the Flamingo contends that such allegations
would be incorrect. While not dominating, Woods was solid in winning
the 2003 MBBC. Woods won with 6 birdies, all made at different courses. What
struck the oddsmakers most about Woods' play in the 2003 MBBC was how poorly
he putted, yet he still managed to win the title. Woods himself admitted
that he missed at least 4 other short birdie putts that he should have made,
and he strongly feels that his birdie total should have reached double
digits. More recent developments have also led to the Flamingo establishing
Woods as the early betting favorite. Woods had not picked up a golf
club since his final putt on the 18th hole at Prestwick Country Club until
last weekend when he traveled to Philadelphia for the MBBC Fall
Classic. In fact, Woods, had not taken his clubs out of his travel bag
since returning from the 2003 MBBC. The rust showed early in the Fall
Classic, as Woods posted an 8, 10, and 7 on the first 3 holes.
However, in classic Woods form and adhering to the MBBC motto "Score Doesn't
Matter" Woods found a way to stick one close and made the short birdie putt.
Woods had no other opportunites to birdie in the Classic, but, once again,
showed that even in the middle of a horrific round, Woods can always find a
way to birdie. Other players have tried to adapt to the "Score Doesn't
Matter" attitude, but none have been able to do it as well as Woods.
However, it is what happened in a warm-up round last Wednesday that has
turned many heads and made Woods the clear favorite to defend his title.
Woods was invited to play at a local golf course similar in conditions and
difficulty to the well known Philadelphia courses, Center Square and
Lime Kiln. Woods initially declined the offer to play, deciding that
he had finished playing for the year and would start preparing for the 2004
MBBC sometime in the spring. However, Woods changed his mind and decided to
play. By his own admission, Woods played one of the best, if not the
best, round of his life and fired an 82. But the most impressive thing
about Woods's round was his putting as he drained putts left and right,
including several from long distances. Most importantly, Woods
recorded the first 3 birdie round of his career. Woods now has
a lot of momentum going into the off season and his confidence should
be high when the time comes to begin preparing for the 2004 MBBC. Many will
downplay the importance of a 3 birdie round in a winter warm-up
round, but Woods has something to build on, and will be looking for a repeat
performance in the 2004 MBBC.
Dan Hoelke: 7-2
The Flamingo has established Hoelke as the second favorite in the 2004
MBBC after his second place finish in the 2003 tournament. Hoelke has
now gone the longest among the MBBCGA members without winning a title,
having last won the title in 2001. Hoelke did not play particularly well in
the 2003 MBBC, but did manage 4 birdies. He took an early
lead over Woods and held him off for several days, before
experiencing a long birdie drought. The final blow was the incredibly
lucky putt that Woods drained at Barefoot on the second to last day of
the tournament that increased his lead to 2 birdies, and
basically, put the championship out of reach. As always, Hoelke is the
best overall player in the MBBCGA, and, naturally, he gives himself the most
opportunities to birdie. Hoelke was impressive in the early rounds
of the 2003 MBBC, firing a birdie in the opening round at Heather Glen,
playing poorly at Tidewater, but then firing 2 more birdies at his favorite
course, Grande Dunes. However Hoelke was unable to put any distance
between himself and rival, Scott Woods, and was only able to manage 1 more
birdie through the rest of the tournament. Clearly, if Hoelke can play
as solidly and consistently as he did in the opening rounds of the 2003
MBBC, he has a chance to dominate the tournament. He MUST avoid the several
round droughts that have plagued him in the past. As is usually the case, a
large factor in Hoelke's chances to win is the courses selected for the
tournament. While the MBBCGA is still several months away from
selecting the sites, Hoelke has made an early plea that all 36 holes of the
International World Tour Course, one of his favorites, be considered.
Hoelke is also an advocate of Grande Dunes, a course he has birdied 4
times in 2 rounds, but based on the rotation of courses established in
previous tournaments and the players' overall dissatisfaction with
Tidewater, Grande Dunes' sister course, it appears that Grande Dunes will
likely not be on the schedule for the 2004 tournament. Obviously, this
remains open for discussion, and if Grande Dunes does become a regular part
of the schedule, Hoelke's chances of winning will certainly increase
significantly. Perhaps the most important factor in Hoelke's odds, is
his impending marriage. No player in the history of the MMBC has ever been
married and managed to win the MBBC in the same year. Hoelke will be married
in June and then take off to Hawaii to bang his wife a lot. Word is that
Hoelke will not be taking part in the Hilton Head Birdie Championship.
Without his usual extensive warm-up rounds, Hoelke may be rusty heading into
the 2004 tournament. However, it has been suggested in the past that
Hoelke's rigid schedule prior to the MBBC leaves him too tired to compete,
so perhaps not playing as often and excessive banging of his new bride will
have the opposite effect.
Eric Drossner:
20-1
After appearing to finally rise to expectations by capturing a
share of the 2002 title, Drossner fell right back on his face with a dismal
performance in the 2003 MBBC. Bettors have soured (yes, "soured") on
Drossner and are no longer willing to believe any pre-tournament hype.
Drossner is one of the longer hitters on the MBBGA, and over the last year
worked extremely hard to stop "leaving it out there", a problem that had
plagued him for years. Drossner solved the problem and his
consistency in his approach shots made him one of the leaders in birdie
opportunites. However, Drossner has completely lost it on
the putting green, and appears to have absolutely no clue how to get
the ball to go into the hole. Many have suggested that Drossner do "the
opposite" of whatever it is that he is doing now. Drossner has suggested
that he may take putting lessons, perhaps buy a new putter, and that his
entire warm up for the 2004 tournament will be focused on improving his
putting. Drossner managed only 1 birdie in the 2003 MBBC, and several
of the players are not convinced of that birdie since it was only witnessed
by Drossner's cart partner, fellow clueless player, Paul Rovner.
Much like the infamous "bungy cord hook-up" Drossner's birdie on the 18th
hole at Diamond Back will remain a controversy. Many believe that
Drossner does not really care about golf or the birdie championship,
but is only playing so that he can tell his employer that he "exercised" for
several hours, and then be awarded mall gift certificates. Drossner's play
has done little to dispute this fact. Drossner has been extremely
active in the months since the 2003 MBBC, playing on many occassions,
including recent warm-up rounds in Arizona and Florida, which certainly
would have featured Myrtle-like conditions. However, Drossner apparently
failed to birdie at either location. Drossner was failry consistent in the
recent Fall Classic, managing to make a decent length birdie putt, but
also making a miserable effort on another legitimate
birdie opportunity. Based on his recent performance, and while
the oddsmakers and bettors hate to admit it, Drossner has returned to his
traditional darkhorse status. At this point, most experts would not
consider Drossner a factor in the 2004 MBBC, but they would have to admit,
that if he manages to improve his putting, even slightly, he could
contend for the championship, and it is only this outside chance, that keeps
Drossner's odds as low as they are.
Paul Rovner:
65-1
The former champion appears to be at a crossroads in his career. It is
clear that the woman who originally gave Rovner lessons should be shot, and
Rovner needs to find a new teacher. After his improbable co-championship in
2002, Rovner began taking lessons to change his swing entirely. Clearly
frustrated by his new swing and the time it takes to improve, Rovner was
completely out his element in the 2003 MBBC, and only managed 1 birdie,
which could actually be attributed to help he received from Hoelke in
reading the putt. (Although, perhaps not too much credit should be given to
Hoelke, since, in all likelihood, after hearing Hoelke's suggestion on the
speed and break of the putt, Rovner likely said, "Thanks" and then ignored
all of Hoelke's suggestions completely and just closed his eyes and "smacked
the f-n thing.") Rovner had very few other birdie opportunites in
Myrtle and returned home from the tournament extremely frustrated with his
play. Rovner apparently has played many times since the 2003 tournament but
there have been no birdies reported. It is unknown if Rovner has
returned or is planning to return to his new teacher for more lessons and
improvement in his swing. Rovner's frustration was never more apparent then
at the recent Fall Classic. Rovner recorded several double pars and double
digits, and had no birdie opportunites. Clearly frustrated by his poor play,
Rovner vented his anger at cart partner and defending champion Scott Woods
during an argument which was heard by several reporters. As has been
well documented in the past, Rovner is not very familiar with all of the
rules of the game, mainly because he knows score doesn't matter, he's never
bothered to read the rules, and quite frankly, he doesn't care. On one hole
(coincidentally the hole Woods birdied) Rovner was putting from the fringe
and asked Woods to tend the pin, to which Woods correctly responded that it
was illegal to do so and that Rovner had the option of taking the pin out or
leaving it in. Obviously not aware of the rule, Rovner proceed to tell Woods
exactly what he could do with the pin and became extremely angry at what he
perceived to be an extremely unnecessary move by Woods in a friendly
exhibition match. Rovner has had no comment about the argument since the
incident, but sources report that he remains extremely upset at Woods for
his conduct. Clearly, Rovner's anger is misguided and he needs to do
something about his game if he expects to contend for the 2004
title.