1. Jason Day and Victor Dubuisson put on a show for the ages in their Accenture Match Play Championship final, won by Day in 23 holes. Where does Dubuisson-Day rank in the annals of great PGA Tour duels?
The Pros: They loved the match, but were very qualified in their use of superlatives because it's a.) Not a major and, b.) No marque players involved. Also cited as a limiting factor was the quality of play, as the two made all of one birdie in their last 6 holes and halved an extra hole with bogeys.
Best Line: From Josh Sens, "Somewhere far below the Watson-Nicklaus Duel in the Sun in '77 at Turnberry and somewhere just above my extra holes victory last week over my neighbor Joe in Tiger Woods EA Sports."
My Take: Alan Shipnuck made what I think is the relevant point, that this testifies to the inherent drama of the match play format. No marque players and a dog-patch of a course, yet a riveting match. Take note, Commissioner Ratched.
2. Day is a world top-10 player with a stellar record in majors, yet gets little respect as a pre-tournament favorite. Is this fair since he only had one PGA Tour win before he won the Match Play on Sunday, or unfair, given his ability to raise his game on big occasions?
The Pros: A bit of appropriate push back since Day has always gotten respect in excess of his one win. One of the wags notes that he took Day in all four 2013 majors and came up empty.
Best Line: From Jeff Ritter, "Not sure it's fair to say he wasn't a favorite -- after all, three of the 14 entries in our office bracket pool had Day as the winner, making him the most-picked champ."
My Take: The answer is provided before the end of the question. Only one win, and that in a second tier event back in 2010 has made Day an enigma. There's never been much doubt about Day's talent, it was just a matter of if and when he'd learn to close.
3. Frenchman Dubuisson looks like he'll be another steely Ryder Cup killer for Team Europe. We saw a lot of U.S.-Europe matchups at Dove Mountain. Were the results encouraging or discouraging for U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson?
The Pros: A little more love for the Yanks, though most go out of their way to point out that what happens in the desert in February is a big nothing burger as relates to the RC.
The Pros: A little more love for the Yanks, though most go out of their way to point out that what happens in the desert in February is a big nothing burger as relates to the RC.
Best Line: A Jeff Ritter double-play, "Rickie Fowler made the biggest statement -- his wins over Poulter and Sergio were extremely impressive, and he just looked mature and in control for most of the week. Also, he's no longer dressing like a crayon, and now more closely resembles a Lithuanian wedding deejay. I'm not completely sure that's a sign of maturity but feel it should be mentioned."
My Take: Meaningless, unless you were expecting Gary Woodland to be the backbone of the U.S. team. Though it was nice to see Poulter's myth punctured a tad. That reminds me, I should take a gander at the updated Ryder Cup standings at some point.
My Take: Meaningless, unless you were expecting Gary Woodland to be the backbone of the U.S. team. Though it was nice to see Poulter's myth punctured a tad. That reminds me, I should take a gander at the updated Ryder Cup standings at some point.
4. Sergio Garcia was both praised and mocked for offering Rickie Fowler a conceded 18-foot putt on the 7th hole while 2 up in their third-round match. What’s your take?
The Pros: Some praise for his sportsmanship, but they're basically as perplexed as the rest of us. The thesaurus page for bizarre is likely dog-eared.
The Pros: Some praise for his sportsmanship, but they're basically as perplexed as the rest of us. The thesaurus page for bizarre is likely dog-eared.
Best Line: Josh Sens, breaking the Jeff Ritter streak, "Sergio's a sensitive guy. That's good when you're writing sonnets. Not so good when you're trying to close someone out in a cutthroat competition."
My Take: Several days later, and it's still quite inexplicable. Has anyone asked Captain McGinley his take on it? If Sergio doesn't make the team on his own, doesn't that make it an interesting dilemma for McGinley.
5. Last week, Augusta National announced that the Eisenhower Tree on the 17th hole had to be removed after being damaged in an ice storm. If it’s possible, should the club replace the tree?
The Pros: A hung jury. Some loved it, some hated it and some just can't wait for the Masters regardless of how this plays out.
The Pros: A hung jury. Some loved it, some hated it and some just can't wait for the Masters regardless of how this plays out.
Best Line: From Eamon Lynch, "No. Move up the tee and make it a reachable par 4, which Augusta doesn't have. Enough of the back-breaking holes already. Put some fun back in the course."
My Take: As one of the writer's notes, the real problem on No. 17 was the row of trees added down the right side. Combined with the 65-foot Ike tree, it was hard to see from the tee where you could set a golf ball down. They'd never do as Eamon suggests, because one of their strange rules is only two tee boxes on each hole.
My Take: As one of the writer's notes, the real problem on No. 17 was the row of trees added down the right side. Combined with the 65-foot Ike tree, it was hard to see from the tee where you could set a golf ball down. They'd never do as Eamon suggests, because one of their strange rules is only two tee boxes on each hole.
6. CBS announced a shakeup in its NFL pregame show, dropping Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe while adding Tony Gonzalez. Which golf broadcast crew could use a shakeup?
The Pros: If you feel as I do about the quality of golf announcing, please do go and read all of their comments. I'd sum it up as an all of the above, with Sir Nick called out most frequently. Johnny mostly gets a pass, and there's some hope that Fox will shake things up.
The Pros: If you feel as I do about the quality of golf announcing, please do go and read all of their comments. I'd sum it up as an all of the above, with Sir Nick called out most frequently. Johnny mostly gets a pass, and there's some hope that Fox will shake things up.
Best Line: A very competitive category, but the Scottie goes to Josh Sens for this one:
I keep waiting for CBS to replace Faldo with a mannequin equipped with a pull-string. Jim Nantz pulls the string once, and the doll waxes nostalgic over one of its major victories. Two pulls and the doll says, "He's going to just try to trundle it down there" but no one complains because it speaks in a British accent.My Take: Hello Friends, I think what our game needs is more Chris Berman. I think Johnny has been mostly good for the game, but is perhaps getting a tad long in the tooth. Faldo is simply incomprehensible and cloying, adding nothing to our understanding and trying way to hard to be amusing. I've always wondered why Chamblee doesn't get a shot at the analyst gig somewhere. The rumors have been that Greg Norman will be the Fox Johnny Miller, and I'm not terribly excited about that.
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