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Interview With Author John Feinstein

Aired May 21, 2003 - 15:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: With so much attention focused Annika Sorenstam's appearance at this week's PGA tournament in Texas, today's Page-Turners segment focuses on one of golf's four major championships. In his new book "Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black," author John Feinstein takes us inside last year's U.S. Open on New York's Long Island.
When we spoke a short time ago, I started by asking him why he focused his book on what went on behind the scenes instead of the tournament stars like Tiger Woods.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN FEINSTEIN, AUTHOR: Well, Judy, because this was a unique major golf tournament. The U.S. Open had never been played on a true public golf course before. Most of the time it's played at fancy country clubs with exclusive memberships or upscale resorts like Pebble Beach or Pinehurst, where it costs $350 to get on the golf course and you still have to know somebody to get to pay the $350.

Bethpage Black on Long Island is a municipal golf course owned by the state of New York. You and I could drive up there this afternoon, get in line, wait for a tee time, play $31 and play the black course tomorrow.

And it was a really bold step by David Fay, who runs the USGA, to say, I think it's time we reach out to public golf and public golfers and go to this golf course. Because when he first had the idea, the course was in miserable condition and they had to literally bring it back to life before they could play the open there.

WOODRUFF: John -- and I'm asking you these questions as somebody who knows next to nothing about golf -- why does it make that much difference between a public course and a private course?

FEINSTEIN: It's more symbolic than anything. I mean, in terms of actually playing the event there, private courses constantly have millions of dollars put into keeping up the golf course. Augusta National being the best example.

Public courses are usually designed to be easier because so many people play them that you have to move the golfers around rapidly. And if they are hard they can't get around rapidly.

WOODRUFF: But pros are not usually playing on...

FEINSTEIN: Pros never play. WOODRUFF: Never?

FEINSTEIN: Almost never would play. As Lee Janzen (ph), who has won two U.S. Opens said, you know, we're not used to sleeping in our cars to get on a golf course. That's what you have to do at Bethpage Black to be guaranteed a tee time.

Most of the pros who played in this event had never seen the black course before the week of the open, or maybe they went up for a practice round a couple weeks before. Whereas, the famous courses, like (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Congressional, Pebble Beach, they've all played there on multiple occasions.

WOODRUFF: But even having said that, this was still a big risk for the people that put this together.

FEINSTEIN: Huge, absolutely.

WOODRUFF: And it took years to pull off and they weren't sure this was going to be a success for the U.S -- the U.S Open is one of the huge tournaments. I mean I do know that much about golf.

FEINSTEIN: Right. There are four majors. The U.S. Open is one of the four.

And David Fay in 1994 came up with the idea of going to the black course. He knew about it, he played it when he was a kid growing up outside of New York City and went on the advice of a friend to take a look at it one afternoon. Walked around and said, it will take millions of dollars to bring the golf course back, but if we can do it, we can play an Open here.

His staff thought he was crazy. The USGA executive committee, which makes the decision to go to certain golf course, thought he was crazy. When he made the announcement, most people thought he was crazy.

You could see the headlines now: "Fay's Folley." But it didn't turn out that way. They brought the golf course back. The players loved it when they saw it. The fans loved the idea that they were playing on our golf course, because it is the public's golf course.

WOODRUFF: Long-standing effect on the game of golf?

FEINSTEIN: Well, I think a couple of things. One, they will go back to public courses. They've already scheduled the Open in 2008 at another public course in San Diego, and they're going to go back to the black golf course in 2009. And I think you'll see the PGA tour, which runs the week-to-week tournaments, and the PGA of America, which runs the PGA, another major, I think you'll see them actively searching for public venues to hold their events on.

WOODRUFF: Can't let you go without asking about Annika Sorenstam of the big tournament coming up this weekend. She's going to try to qualify in the next few days. Everybody is looking to see if she makes the so-called cut. FEINSTEIN: Right.

WOODRUFF: Whether she does well enough in the qualifying rounds to...

FEINSTEIN: Well, the first two rounds.

WOODRUFF: But if she doesn't make the cut, will she have accomplished something here, or is that all that really matters? What really matters?

FEINSTEIN: Oh, no. I think she's already accomplished a great deal. All the attention she's received is good for golf, it's good for women's golf.

Even if she doesn't make the cut, people are talking about her and about the game and about the women's game. And I think it's one of those unique situations in sports where we're actually going to get the answer to a bar room argument.

How would a woman do if she played against the men? We're going to find out this week.

WOODRUFF: Do you think she'll make it?

FEINSTEIN: I don't. But my last correct prediction was Nixon over McGovern. But I think there's just too much involved.

If she made it, I wouldn't be shocked. But if you asked me point blank, my answer would be probably not.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: So we'll be calling him up if she makes it. We'll see.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 21, 2003 - 15:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: With so much attention focused Annika Sorenstam's appearance at this week's PGA tournament in Texas, today's Page-Turners segment focuses on one of golf's four major championships. In his new book "Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black," author John Feinstein takes us inside last year's U.S. Open on New York's Long Island.
When we spoke a short time ago, I started by asking him why he focused his book on what went on behind the scenes instead of the tournament stars like Tiger Woods.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN FEINSTEIN, AUTHOR: Well, Judy, because this was a unique major golf tournament. The U.S. Open had never been played on a true public golf course before. Most of the time it's played at fancy country clubs with exclusive memberships or upscale resorts like Pebble Beach or Pinehurst, where it costs $350 to get on the golf course and you still have to know somebody to get to pay the $350.

Bethpage Black on Long Island is a municipal golf course owned by the state of New York. You and I could drive up there this afternoon, get in line, wait for a tee time, play $31 and play the black course tomorrow.

And it was a really bold step by David Fay, who runs the USGA, to say, I think it's time we reach out to public golf and public golfers and go to this golf course. Because when he first had the idea, the course was in miserable condition and they had to literally bring it back to life before they could play the open there.

WOODRUFF: John -- and I'm asking you these questions as somebody who knows next to nothing about golf -- why does it make that much difference between a public course and a private course?

FEINSTEIN: It's more symbolic than anything. I mean, in terms of actually playing the event there, private courses constantly have millions of dollars put into keeping up the golf course. Augusta National being the best example.

Public courses are usually designed to be easier because so many people play them that you have to move the golfers around rapidly. And if they are hard they can't get around rapidly.

WOODRUFF: But pros are not usually playing on...

FEINSTEIN: Pros never play. WOODRUFF: Never?

FEINSTEIN: Almost never would play. As Lee Janzen (ph), who has won two U.S. Opens said, you know, we're not used to sleeping in our cars to get on a golf course. That's what you have to do at Bethpage Black to be guaranteed a tee time.

Most of the pros who played in this event had never seen the black course before the week of the open, or maybe they went up for a practice round a couple weeks before. Whereas, the famous courses, like (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Congressional, Pebble Beach, they've all played there on multiple occasions.

WOODRUFF: But even having said that, this was still a big risk for the people that put this together.

FEINSTEIN: Huge, absolutely.

WOODRUFF: And it took years to pull off and they weren't sure this was going to be a success for the U.S -- the U.S Open is one of the huge tournaments. I mean I do know that much about golf.

FEINSTEIN: Right. There are four majors. The U.S. Open is one of the four.

And David Fay in 1994 came up with the idea of going to the black course. He knew about it, he played it when he was a kid growing up outside of New York City and went on the advice of a friend to take a look at it one afternoon. Walked around and said, it will take millions of dollars to bring the golf course back, but if we can do it, we can play an Open here.

His staff thought he was crazy. The USGA executive committee, which makes the decision to go to certain golf course, thought he was crazy. When he made the announcement, most people thought he was crazy.

You could see the headlines now: "Fay's Folley." But it didn't turn out that way. They brought the golf course back. The players loved it when they saw it. The fans loved the idea that they were playing on our golf course, because it is the public's golf course.

WOODRUFF: Long-standing effect on the game of golf?

FEINSTEIN: Well, I think a couple of things. One, they will go back to public courses. They've already scheduled the Open in 2008 at another public course in San Diego, and they're going to go back to the black golf course in 2009. And I think you'll see the PGA tour, which runs the week-to-week tournaments, and the PGA of America, which runs the PGA, another major, I think you'll see them actively searching for public venues to hold their events on.

WOODRUFF: Can't let you go without asking about Annika Sorenstam of the big tournament coming up this weekend. She's going to try to qualify in the next few days. Everybody is looking to see if she makes the so-called cut. FEINSTEIN: Right.

WOODRUFF: Whether she does well enough in the qualifying rounds to...

FEINSTEIN: Well, the first two rounds.

WOODRUFF: But if she doesn't make the cut, will she have accomplished something here, or is that all that really matters? What really matters?

FEINSTEIN: Oh, no. I think she's already accomplished a great deal. All the attention she's received is good for golf, it's good for women's golf.

Even if she doesn't make the cut, people are talking about her and about the game and about the women's game. And I think it's one of those unique situations in sports where we're actually going to get the answer to a bar room argument.

How would a woman do if she played against the men? We're going to find out this week.

WOODRUFF: Do you think she'll make it?

FEINSTEIN: I don't. But my last correct prediction was Nixon over McGovern. But I think there's just too much involved.

If she made it, I wouldn't be shocked. But if you asked me point blank, my answer would be probably not.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: So we'll be calling him up if she makes it. We'll see.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com