Once again a failed Tour pro, turned TV pundit, is stirring the controversy pot.
This time it’s the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.
Brandel who?
Brandel Chamblee, a 50-year old American who contested 370 events and won just one, the 1998 Greater Vancouver Open and hardly one of the PGA Tour’s blue-ribbon events.
- England’s Lee Slattery enjoying his time at Firestone despite Brandel Chamblee’s criticism. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
Like so many washed-up Tour players, come so-called expert TV pundits, Chamblee used his appearance on the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive segment this morning to criticise the inclusion of England’s Lee Slattery in the field for this week’s WGC – Bridgestone Invitational.
Chamblee singled out Slattery saying: “He’s ranked 230th in the world and doesn’t deserve to be playing this week.”
Slattery qualified for the $US 8.5m event courtesy of his maiden Race to Dubai success later last year in the Madrid Masters, so he’s rightfully earned his place in this week’s Firestone field.
Chamblee competed on the PGA Tour full time for nearly 15 years and only once, in 1998 when he won in Canada at the ripe old age of 37, did he ever finish inside the top-50 on the money list
The thing is Chamblee’s no different to many of his other former Tour colleagues. They’re good at analysing a player’s game but they find the only way they can now make a name for themself is saying something controversial.
Chamblee himself was ranked a lowly 130th in the world when he captured his only PGA Tour title, so perhaps someone should have questioned his presence in the field.
Of course, Chamblee’s also the pundit who stated last year Tiger Woods would never win again.
The great aspect about professional golf is that anyone, no matter their World Ranking, can win on any given week.
Lee Slattery’s one of golf’s Mr. Nice Guys and he’s enjoying the experience of competing in only his second-ever tournament in the States after making his debut earlier this year in the U.S. Open.
My argument is that if Lee Slattery can shoot a 65 and find his way to second place, and finish his round in front of the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and some 76 other players ahead of him on the World Rankings who are competing this week, then he deserves his place in the Firestone field.
If Brandel Chamblee’s got a problem with Lee Slattery teeing up this week then take it up with the World Golf Federation.
And while on what’s his name!
He asked a bizarre question of one the Golf Channel reporters present at Firestone why there is so much conversation on course this week about the eventual make-up of the USA Ryder Cup team.
Of course, Chamblee was never good enough to play in the Ryder Cup but then on a TV show that never fails to turn me completely off my corn flakes, the answer should be glaringly obvious – there’s now less than a week before the end of qualifying.
Surely, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to work that out.
