Mar 11, 2017 By Mike Dudurich for The 4 min read

I’ve been involved in sports for as long as I can remember. Well actually, longer than I can remember, since the memory isn’t what it used to be.

I’ve been a sports fan, a participant with limited success and a sportswriter for a long time.

I’ve seen a lot of things over the course of my writing career, not everything, for sure, but a lot of things.

But I’ll be darned if I’ve ever seen anything like what is taking place in advance of next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando.

In the first playing of the tournament since Palmer passed away in September, some of the biggest names in golf have chosen not to play. Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Justin Thomas won’t be there.

Really? To respect the memory of the man who made possible many of the things these guys enjoy today, including exposure and purses, these guys can’t circle API on their calendars back in October?

Scheduling issues be damned. Setting up their run-up to the Masters be damned.

Thomas and Scott were the only ones who had legitimate reasons. Thomas committed to be in the wedding of a best friend last year. Scott’s wife is pregnant and he’s spending time with her.

I wouldn’t expect these guys to tell me how to make a living and I certainly would never tell them how to.

But I do have an opinion and it’s very simple: The rest of the top 25 not playing next week should be ashamed.

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Golf Digest published its biennial America’s 100 Greatest Golf Course in the February issue of the magazine. Pine Valley took over the top spot from Augusta National Golf Club, but otherwise the familiar names are in the top five. Cypress Hills, Shinnecock Hills and Oakmont round out that group.

I’ve played Shinnecock and Oakmont and while the former is a really good, classic golf course, I’m not sure why it’s ranked ahead of Oakmont. Shinnecock has some great views of the Atlantic Ocean and a collection of testy holes that can become brutal when the breezes start to blow.

I got to play there a month or so before the 2004 U.S. Open and it was good, really good. Quite an experience, actually.

But I’ve played Oakmont many more times and it is much more difficult in my mind.

Do the rankings mean much? I’m not sure. Clubs would love to be high on the list, but don’t fly into panic mode if they’re not. The rankings certainly make for interesting discussion, though.

The only other clubs to make the list were Pikewood National in Morgantown, W.Va., which was 40th, and Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, 95th.

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Pop quiz time: Who was the second-leading earner in golf-related income in 2016?

Hint: Rory McIlroy was the leader.

Answer: This may come as a shock, but the answer is Arnold Palmer.

Obviously, he didn’t earn any on-course money, but according to numbers compiled by Golf Digest, Palmer’s off-course earnings were $40 million, $9 million less than McIlroy.

Just another reason the man was known as The King.

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Maybe I’m missing something, but I just don’t get this idea that was floated by United States Golf Association executive director Mike Davis the other day.

He spoke about someday tailoring golf balls to golfers or courses so golfers with different distance capabilities could play together from the same tees or compete on certain courses that would play closer to what they did back when the game wasn’t so long, making old, classic courses nearly obsolete.

Isn’t playing from appropriate tees the way average and elite players can compete?

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If you have an interesting story about your club or course or an individual who has done something special, let me know. Send your story ideas to mike.dudurich@gmail.com.