Memorial Golf Tv Schedule

Byline: Leonard Shapiro

Washington Post staff writer Leonard Shapiro was online Wednesday, June 15, at 1 p.m. ET to preview the 2005 U.S. Open Championship.

A transcript follows.

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washingtonpost.com: Leonard Shapiro will be online momentarily. Thank you for staying tuned.

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Baltimore, Md.: I'm in a big U.S. Open pool where you pick a team of seven golfers. Your score is the four lowest rounds each day. Here are the flights. You must select one golfer per flight. What team would you pick?

Flight #1: Wooods, Singh, Els, Mickelson, Goosen, Garcia, Scott, Dimarco

Flight #2: Toms, Perry, Harrington, Donald, Cabrera, Love III, Cink, Appleby

Flight #3: Clarke, Jimenez, Weir, Leonard, Verplank, Furyk, Couples, Lehman

Flight #4: Funk, Bjorn, C. Cambell, Lonard, D. Howell, B. Bryant, Shigeki, S. Ames

Flight #5: Westwood, T. Clark, C. Parry, R. Pampling, Sabbatini, Z. Johnson, Haas, G. McDowell

Flight #6: T. Hamilton, Daly, J. Kelly, P. McGinley, Howell III, Hensby, Herron, R. Green

Flight #7: Any golfer from the rest of the field not listed above.

Leonard Shapiro: <br/> I'll take the No. 1 team, against nthe field

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Frederick, Md.: Len -- who's your favorite and who are your darkhorses? Any chance Sergio will follow up his win at the Booz with his first major? Thanks!

Leonard Shapiro: I've gone on record on the website (teeing off) as picking tiger. My darkhorse would be david toms. The best story would be mickelson after losing to payne stewart in '99 by a shot

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Toluca Lake, Calif.: Do you miss Toby as much as I do?

Leonard Shapiro: This is a personal question and yes, I miss my friend Toby every day.

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Fairfax, Va.: Will Michelle Wie's second place finish at the LPGA championship mean the end of any more criticism of where and when she plays? And in your view, will Nancy Lopez's comments (she should focus on beating women before men) prove to be rather simple minded 10 years from now?

Leonard Shapiro: I still believe before Wie gets good enough to beat the men, she does have to beat the women. She hasn't done that. In fact, except for the women's publinks usga event, she's never won away from Hawaii. I think it's wonderful that he has a long-term goal of playing on the men's tour. I also think it's unrealistic, but how do you stop anyone from dreaming. I'd like to see her start on the LPGA Tour, win multiple events for several years, then think about the men.

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Fairfax, Va.: A Booz Allen question for you -- after being spoiled with a great field at Congressional and being faced with another no-name field at Avenal next year, what will it take for the PGA to finally show some long overdue respect to the D.C. area and schedule the tournament at a better date on a better course?

Leonard Shapiro: I think the fact that Booz Allen CEO Ralph Shrader has essentially told them better date or no Booz Allen will go a long way to fixing the problem. Finchem does not want to lose this market, or this sponsor, which puts in $10 million a year to make it a first rate event. I suspect the next time the tour announces a long-term schedule, we'll have the date before the open and before the Memorial in Ohio.

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New Market, Md.: What is your take on the whole Sabbatini-Crane fiasco from last week? Did Sabbatini truly have a beef -- or did Crane just take the high road? Sabbatini is just getting grilled!

Leonard Shapiro: Sabbatiniu acted like a dolt and should be taking a beating. Then again, Crane acted like a turtle and also needs to speed it up. The bigger issue is pace of play in general, and until the PGA Tour starts enforcing penalties, as in a stroke or two strokes for slow play, it won't get fixed. Crane took the high road and knows he has a problem. Sabbatini needs to get a little more class and learn a bitmore about the etiquette of the game. I would also remin d you that Sabbatini was one of the guys ;last year who entered British Open qualifying at Congressional the day after the Booz Allen and never showed, never called. He's not a class act.

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Willowbrook, Md.: Len -- which of the Young guns is most likely to challenge for the U.S. open title this week? Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Charles Howell, Luke Donald, Justin Rose, etc? ....

Leonard Shapiro: I like the look of Luke Donald's game. He had a great Masters and I suspect if he doesn't win a major this year, he will in the next two years. Adam Scott would be my next choice among the young guns and if Sergio keeps putting the way he did at Congressional, look out.

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Arlington, Va.: So why are you picking Tiger? Thanks!;

Leonard Shapiro: Because he's the only guy in the field with a chance to win the grand slam, which would be the story of the year, unless annika does it first. I just think he's got the best game of anyone, and if he's playing well, as I think he is after a week off, he'll win.

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Washington, D.C.: What's it like actually being there, versus watching the tournament on TV? Do you think us TV watchers are getting a decent representation of playing? (Hoping I'll make it to a tournament one day ...)

Leonard Shapiro: Pinehurst is golf heaven, fine courses around every turn in the road, though it's impossible to play while the tournament is going on. In any case, in front of your TV, you've got the best seat in the house. I try to walk as much as I can during the tournament, but on Saturday and Sunday, I'm usually in the press tent watching the telecast, if only because there are too many contenders to follow on foot.

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Washington, D.C.: VJ has not played well since coming back from his two weeks off (missed cut and finished 29'th/30'th at Booz Allen) ... any idea why and what chances do you give him finishing in the top five this weekend?

Thanks.

Leonard Shapiro: I've never been able to figure this guy out, quite frankly. I suspect he's not happy to be No. 1 and will make a run at the title here this week, despite his medioicre play in Washington.

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Washington, D.C. : But Annika has a chance, you think? Though you predict Tiger?

Leonard Shapiro: Annika has a better chance to win the grand slam because her competition is not as deep as what Tiger faces in an Open. She also seems to intimidate many of her foes, especially when they play with her and see her hit virtually every fairway and every green. That can be rather unsettling. Tiger did thatfrom 1999-2001 and had the same effect on the competition, but he no longer strikes the same kind of fear in his comeptition because he's occasionally struggled the last few years.

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Laurel, Md.: Mr. Shapiro, It seems like every U.S. Open has had a gimmick to make it harder on the players. If it's not super-fast or dome-shaped greens it's crazy-thick rough or extra-narrow fairways. What's it going to be this weekend?

Leonard Shapiro: Pinehurst's gimmick in '99 was to add a number of chipping areas around the greens, especially in front, so players could run their shots up the greens rather than approach from high in the air. That won't be so easy this time. Because of poor growinjg conditions, the new sod planted in those areas for this event hasn't really grown properly, leaving sand and seams that will make the low approach rather dicey. They say they'll not allow another Shinnecock to occur, but we'll have to wait and see on that.

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Washington, D.C.: Is Pinehurst your favorite?

Leonard Shapiro: Without being provincial, my favorite Open course is Congressional, followed by Pinehurst followed by Pebble Beach. My favorite event on the golf calendar is the British Open, but only when its played on links by the sea in goofy weather. To me, that's the way to play the game and I can't wait to get to St. Andrews next month.

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Mclean, Va.: Your take on the Sabbatini-Crane thing is way different from most of the PGA pros I have spoken to. They basically said that it's ridiculous that it would take 5 hours for a tour-level two-some to play a round and that once you are on the clock, you can be penalized and fined and that it hits you in your wallet -- not just Crane, but it would hit Sabbatini as well. I was a bit surprised, but this is their livelihood. Whaddya think?

Leonard Shapiro: Of course it's ridiculous. but I still think sabbatini handled it boorishly and shoulkd be fined. Crane should also be fined for slow play, but when was the last time you heard of that happening in a tour event, especially with a prominent pro?

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Arlington, Va.: Predictions for the next couple of days?

Leonard Shapiro: It will be hot, hot hot until the weekend. Some unknown qualifier likely will be leading or close to the lead on Thursday. By Saturday, the better players will move up and on Sunday, look for Tiger, Phil, Vijay and Ernie to battle it out, along with Goosen, Toms and maybe DiMarco.

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Washington, D.C.: VJ has not played well since coming back from his two weeks off (missed cut and finished 29'th/30'th at Booz Allen) ... any idea why and what chances do you give him finishing in the top five this weekend?

Thanks.

Leonard Shapiro: I think Vijay will rebound and work very hard to get his No. 1 ranking back.

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Garfield, Md.: Len -- what was your highlight of the week at the Booz Allen?

Leonard Shapiro: Good question. Actually it was sort of a low light. I'm still having a hard time believing that adam scott's sand wedge from 140 yards out at the 17th on Sunday actually bounced into a greenside bunker and bounced off the sand and down the bank into the drink. I've never seen a ball do that.

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Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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