Tee Shots: ; Way more good than bad at the Classic

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - Even an appearance by Clint Eastwoodwouldn't have done any more to make my day at The GreenbrierClassic.

With Arnold Palmer, Jerry West, Frank Beamer and other non-playing popular celebrities at The Greenbrier event this week, alittle late rain on Saturday couldn't dampen the high spirits of the80,000-plus who attended the $6 million golf tournament.

Still, there's always going to be good, bad and ugly for a first-time tournament.

All-in-all, owner Jim Justice, the PGA Tour, the 2,200 or sovolunteers, employees and fans made for a quality week at thetournament.

Like anything else, there was bad, which I'm sure will beanalyzed over the next 12 months of preparation for the secondannual Greenbrier Classic.

In this case, we'll save that for last.

The good:

* Jim Justice announced on Sunday that he's likely going to givean exemption to the W.Va. Amateur and the W.Va. Open champion nextyear, instead of only the Am champ. He's not obligated to do so, butit's a good move. The first exemption guarantees an amateur in theevent while the Open champion has been a talented golfer who willrepresent the state positively. Quite frankly, nobody could'verepresented the state better from an amateur standpoint thanJonathan Bartlett.

* Justice has become a household name across the PGA Tour, butnot because he wanted it that way. He was gracious and approachableand was constantly on the move, shaking hands and being sociable.

* The image ascribed to PGA Tour players is mostly inaccurate.John Daly might have entered this inaugural event as the mostpopular player in the field, he left as the only final-roundfinisher who didn't shoot under par. The buzz around the mediacircles was about Daly's bitter attitude. Believe me, he was theexception, not the rule.

* The weather held off until a drizzle fell during Saturday'sthird round. A late downpour Saturday night softened the course, butat least waited until the round concluded.

* The shuttles for the caddies running the 10 miles between TheGreenbrier and Lewisburg were on the spot, every 15 minutes, whenthey could. The drivers arrived at 5 a.m. and made the last trip at9 p.m. Until the evening, which is covered later.

* Riding to and from the site with caddies, which was prettycool.

* The staffs for The Greenbrier and the PGA Tour were above andbeyond helpful.

The bad

* A mile and-a-half walk westbound on I-64. I grabbed the 7:15p.m. Saturday media/caddy shuttle from The Greenbrier and was instandstill traffic about a quarter-mile from the 1/2-mile markerbefore the Lewisburg exit. Me and the caddies for Chris Stroud andAaron Baddeley hiked the final half-mile on foot, reaching the hotelin about 25 minutes. Meanwhile these guys, who already had walked7,000 yards that day and could've gone another 7,000, were movingtoo fast for an overweight sportswriter. Still, it was a good idea.The bus didn't arrive until close to 9 p.m.

* Along the same lines. A concert with two superstars on aSaturday night at the fairgrounds where the road bottlenecks? Thetiming was probably the worst footnote, with the concert scheduledto begin at 7:30 p.m. and the final group of golfers coming inaround 6 p.m. I would like to know how many people decided not to goor got there late, despite holding tickets.

* The low scores might have been fun for the players, but not forthe sake of the competition. Jeff Overton entered the final round onSunday three strokes ahead, but only eight strokes separated the top17 players. For some of the golfers who normally wouldn't be incontention on the final day were, and I'm not sure that's good foreverybody.

* Where are you, Tom Watson? The Greenbrier's pro emeritus'decision to not play in The Greenbrier Classic was more thandisappointing for the first-year event. Watson was playing in theU.S. Senior Open, the one tournament on the Senior Tour he hasn'twon, but an event he can play anytime. He no longer can play in theinaugural modern-day PGATour event at The Greenbrier. He's stillcompetitive, which, some believe, was likely part of the reason forhis playing in Sammamish, Wash. He could have come to West Virginiaand competed against some of the best - and younger - players. Shameon you, Tom.

The ugly

* John Daly's pants.

The point

* Most shared the opinion that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelsonwill never play in The Greenbrier Classic. That might be true, butI'm not sure. Really, nobody is sure. With five years remaining onthe PGA Tour's contract with The Greenbrier, golfers will come andgo. Many of the better performers this week have an opportunity toskyrocket up the charts in the next five Tour seasons. If they'veplayed well here, there's a better chance they'll return. Iflegitimate changes are made to alter the winning score closer to 15-under par, that will better the chances the best guys will come.Even if they don't, Jeff Overton could be the next Tiger Woods.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tom Watson, the pro emeritus at TheGreenbrier, watches his shot during the U.S. Senior Open inSammamish, Wash. on Saturday. Watson chose to not play in theinaugural Greenbrier Classic.

Contact Assistant Sports Editor at richstevens@dailymail.com or304-348-4837.