Former University of Houston chancellor and current J. Paul Getty Trust president Barry Munitz probably didn’t even notice this earlier post regarding his mercurial career in public life.
But I bet even the talented Mr. Munitz notices when the New York Sunday Times dedicates a long article to the current troubles of the Getty Trust.
With Brad Bryant’s surprisingly easy win in the season-ending Tour Championship yesterday, the PGA Tour’s all-important money list is final for the 2005 season. Some interesting notes:
Tiger Woods won again with over $10.6 million in winnings, which works out to be over half a million per tournament that he enteded in 2005.
It took a cool $626,736 in winnings to make the top 125, which is a coveted position because the 125 top money-winners from the 2005 season are exempt from qualifying for most PGA Tour events during the upcoming 2006 season.
Three 2004 Nationwide Tour graduates made the top 125, but ten 2004 Q-School graduates made the list and two Q-school grads (Sean O’Hair and Lucas Glover) finished in the top 30.
Apart from Gatesville’s Bryant at no. 9 with almost $3.25 million in winnings, Justin Leonard of Dallas was the top Texan money-winner at no. 12 with over $2.6 million in winnings, followed by Chad Campbell of Andrews at no. 20 with almost $2.4 million. The Woodlands resident K.J. Choi came in at no. 37 with over $1.7 million in earnings, while Steve Elkington of Houston’s Champions Golf Club had a comfortable bounce back year at no. 54 with over $1.4 million.
54 year old Tom Kite‘s plan to play the regular PGA Tour in 2005 resulted in just 11 tournaments and a bit over $100,000 in winnings, placing him 217th on the list.
The sad golfing saga of David Duval continues, as the former no. 1 golfer in the world came in 260th on the money list with just a bit over $7,500, which works out to be a Tour-low $381.50 per tournament.
Mr. Duval — who continues to have an exemption into most tournaments because of his 2001 British Open and 2000 Players’ Championship victories — may be carrying his own bag in future tournaments at that earning level.
Flyi Inc., which spun off a year ago into the low-fare independent airline called “Independence Air” after beginning as a contract carrier for United Airlines and Delta Air Lines Inc., filed a chapter 11 case early Monday morning, joining a good part of the American airline industry in keeping the bankruptcy bar fat and happy.
Meanwhile, just to remind you that markets often work in mysterious ways, airline stocks are rebounding.
I understand that the Stros’ public relations department wants centerfielder Willy Taveras to be the National League Rookie of the Year, but why does the Chronicle lap up such nonsense with unqualified support?
As noted in this previous post, Taveras did reasonably well this season jumping from Double A ball to the Major Leagues, but he remains a decidedly below-average player in the most important aspect of baseball, which is creating runs so that your team can score more than the opposition and win games. Taveras generated 13 fewer runs this season than an average National League hitter would have generated in the same number of plate appearances (“RCAA“).
Rioting across France hit a new peak during the 11th night of rioting last night, as the violence — initially centered in the Paris suburbs — worsened elsewhere in France. From the original outburst of violence in suburban Paris housing projects, the violence has expanded into a widespread show of disdain for French authority from youths, mostly the children of Arabs and black Africans who are the products of high unemployment, poor housing and discrimination in French society. This Opinion.Telegraph piece provides a British perspective on the current situation.
Interestingly, Theodore Dalrymple — the pen name of British psychiatrist and author, Anthony Daniels — predicted all of this back in 2002 in this City Journal piece on the developing European underclass: