Now for something different !!

There is no PGA tour or Champions Tour events this week.

So the Nationwide Tour has much of the stage to themselves..Their broadcast on Saturday this week will be different and may be the sign of things to come !!

Here is the news from John Dell at pgatour.com

During the third round of the Nationwide Tour's Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft, there won't be the traditional host-broadcaster and an analyst. Instead, there will be plenty of golf action with most of the sounds coming from the caddies and the players.


It's an approach that hasn't been tried in golf, but maybe there will finally be enough silence where the caddie-player conversations won't be interrupted. More on-course microphones will be utilized, and there's a chance one player wearing a microphone during play.

Keith Hirshland, 54, who has been a producer at Golf Channel since it's inception in 1994, is in charge of the experiment and admits to being a little nervous. The biggest difference, he says, is that viewers hear more from the actual participants.


"The sound will be coming mostly from the players and caddies," said Hirshland, who produces about 25 to 30 tournaments a year for the network. "Originally, we kind of thought about having Jerry Foltz come on and say here's the third round and then for the next two and half hours just air the golf without any announcers at all.

"But then it just kind of morphed into what we have now."


Golf Channel has plans to make the broadcast utilize social networks like Twitter for viewers to ask questions. Foltz and analyst Curt Byrum will interact more with viewers who send in their questions and they will limit their comments on the play-by-play of the golf.

"Fans can go to Golfchannel.com, PGATOUR.COM and we'll be on Twitter and Facebook so we thought it would be a great for fans to interact with Jerry and Curt while the broadcast is going on," Hirshland said. "The idea is to kind of have them sitting and watching the telecast and answering questions from viewers."

Plans also call for on-course reporters Kay Cockerill and Stephanie Sparks, who usually follow particular groups, to set up at interview stations at the par-3 13th hole and the par-4 15th which players can drive with a good tee shot. There's a likelihood of some delays on the 15th as players will try to drive the green.


Also, Phil Parkin will interview players after their rounds, but instead of giving the broadcast back to the booth play will just continue

What Hirshland is most excited about are the possibilities of the caddie-player conversations as they size up various shots. He's frustrated when the on-course microphones start to pick up a conversation between the caddie and the player, then the on-air host or analyst interrupts.

Hirshland says the concept of an announcer-less broadcast is nothing new. He points out that in 1980 Don Ohlmeyer, who was the president of NBC Sports, broadcast a game with no announcers, but it never caught on.


Another aspect that Hirshland is excited about is the chance to put a microphone on a player who is in contention. The only directive from the PGA TOUR's Policy Board is that the player's comments not air live.

"We'll put it in the tape machines and then turn around and air it pretty quickly," Hirshland said.

The Nationwide Tour has seven tournaments left on the schedule and the push to make into the top 25 is heating up. The top 25 on the list earn PGA TOUR cards for 2011.

Here are the top 25 plus where all our Canucks are..

1 1 Chris Kirk 19 $407,673 2

2 2 Jamie Lovemark 18 $393,288 1
3 3 Tommy Gainey 21 $350,532 2
4 4 Martin Piller 19 $322,361 2
5 5 Kevin Chappell 19 $297,193 1
6 7 Jhonattan Vegas 17 $260,984 1
7 6 Bobby Gates 18 $229,901 1
8 8 Tag Ridings 21 $219,535
9 11 Fabian Gomez 20 $212,607 1
10 9 D.J. Brigman 19 $208,619 1
11 10 Peter Tomasulo 17 $205,812 1
12 12 Hunter Haas 17 $201,266 1
13 13 Jim Herman 19 $197,440 1
14 14 Kevin Kisner 20 $194,692 1
15 47 Michael Putnam 17 $191,747 1
16 16 Chris Nallen 19 $185,293
17 15 Daniel Summerhays 20 $182,692
18 19 James Hahn 22 $165,355
19 17 Justin Hicks 21 $162,811 1
20 18 Scott Gutschewski 20 $162,042
21 20 David Hearn 19 $156,074
22 21 John Riegger 16 $148,559 1
23 32 Brandt Jobe 17 $145,156
24 22 Dicky Pride 17 $136,498
25 24 Brian Smock 21 $136,080

32   Jon Mills  $125,380
101 Dustin Risdon
114 Barrett Jarosch
123 Ted Brown
147 Bryan DeCorso
172 David Morland
192 Kevin Fortin Simard

Chris Baryla contacted me to say that he has been rehabbing his back surgery and is back playing and is in the field this week. Remember Jon Mills won this event in 2007, and Graham DeLaet who went to Boise State University ( Phys Ed) is also playing.

Chris Baryla 9.30, Barrett Jarosch 8.20, Ted Brown 1035, Graham DeLaet 1.35, David Hearn 10.35, Jon Mills 1.45  ( all times local)

Bryan Angus   bryanangus4@gmail.com