Posted on Thu, May. 01, 2008

Wachovia Observations | Langston Wertz Jr.

Around the course with Langston Wertz Jr.

Observations Around the course with Langston Wertz Jr.

Separated at birth?

Every time I saw Fred Couples leave a hole Wednesday, he was signing something: purses, hats, umbrellas, flags, programs. If you don't know, Couples is the George Clooney of the PGA Tour -- older, gray-haired, handsome and cool. One woman chased him up the hill between the 15th and 16th holes, begging for a hug. That was after a man said to Couples, in a crowd, "Fred, you look magnificent."

From a walk around Quail Hollow Wednesday:

• If you've only seen Phil Mickelson on TV and think he's lost a little weight, you're wrong. Phil has a lost a ton of weight. He's slim enough to be in one of those NutriSystem commercials.

His "subcutaneous fat" has been replaced with a good deal of muscle, especially in his arms.

• I stood on the 16th hole for about 45 minutes, watching golfers go by. I heard "fore" a lot -- a word golfers use to warn people to watch for wayward shots. On Pro-Am day, when amateurs play with the pros, I found myself ducking a lot.

In one stretch of five amateur swings, four balls went head deep into the galleries on either side of the fairway ropes.

Luckily, no one was maimed.

• There has been a lot of talk that golf was becoming a big man's game. Don't tell that to Masters champion Trevor Immelman, rather generously listed as 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds.

The South African is downright tiny. Many fans think his swing coach, David Leadbetter, is the pro in his group during the morning round. But Immelman can absolutely crunch the ball.

He appears to go farther down the 16th fairway to hit his second shot than Mickelson or the similarly long-knocking Adam Scott.

• Saw Panthers coach John Fox getting lessons on the practice tee trying to fix a balky driver. And I saw former world No. 1 David Duval effortlessly placing wedges and short irons near the flag on every green he shot at.

It would be nice to see Duval, who hasn't made a cut in seven events in 2008, at the top of the leader boards again.

• Here's the difference between the amateur and the professional:

I was watching Steve Stricker'sgroup when he and one of his partners hit into the thick rough, mere yards apart.

The amateur hit a low snaking hook that landed about 70 yards short -- in more rough. Up next, Stricker took a few waggles and hit a low draw that rolled up to a few feet of the green. I need that shot.

• Ian Poulter, known for his, um, colorful wardrobe, showed up for work looking like Johnny Cash -- all black.

Ian, dude, where's the pink? The fuschia? The lime green?

• Spotted golf reality TV star Don Donatello on the putting green, caddying for Kevin Na.

Donatello was on the Golf Channel's popular "Big Break" show twice. He made himself the show's most popular character with his over-the-top intensity and one-liners ("Boo-yah" and "pull that tape tight" among them). Patrons got his attention by repeating his best lines back to him.

"Double D" just kept grinning.