Jonathan Coachman in an ESPN golf roundtable said last week's WGC-Mexico Championship was a "spectacular event" and the crowds were "amazing, loud and respectful." Michael Collins felt the "schedule needs to be tweaked" if the PGA Tour is "going to stay there, but the event was a huge success." Bob Harig noted it "exceeded expectations" (ESPN.com, 3/6). SI.com's Alan Shipnuck in GOLF.com roundtable noted it was the "liveliest Tour event [he] can remember in a long time." SI.com's Jeff Ritter felt the tournament was a "home run all the way around" (GOLF.com, 3/6). But Jack Nicklaus said the Mexico event "destroyed the Florida Swing as we knew it." Nicklaus: "I hope they’ll switch it back, go to L.A., Mexico, here and then they’ve got a Florida Swing again" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/7).
SAY WHAT? ESPN.com's Ryan McGee noted the idea of NASCAR possibly lowering car noise "might not be such a bad idea." McGee: "Not a lot. No one -- especially no one on the NASCAR payroll -- wants anything to do with machines of silence." But "turning it down from 11 to 10 isn't going to hurt anyone." McGee: "It'll actually do the opposite. You hear me?" (ESPN.com, 3/7).
PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS: SI.com's Grant Wahl noted when it came time to vote on a new policy requiring players to stand during the National Anthem, there was no "conflict inside U.S. Soccer." Sources said that it "wasn’t an easy decision," but the policy "came on a unanimous vote." Sources added that the "largest ovation at last weekend’s U.S. Soccer Annual General Meeting in Hawaii came when the new anthem policy was announced" (SI.com, 3/7).
