Weekend Wrap

Not the kind of weekend that needs to be tied up with a bow for my sophisticated readers, but we'll pick at corpse just a bit...

The Big Squeezy - It turns out that when you play golf in a locale below sea level and they have heavy rains, well who knew?

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans will have a 54-hole finish on Monday. 

On Sunday, play was yet again delayed due to inclement weather, this time in the middle of the morning after a 7:30 a.m. local (central) re-start. Action would be suspended the remainder of the day, with no player getting through his third round, and the leaders only moving through five holes. 

Third-round (i.e. final-round) action will resume Monday at 7 a.m., with the shortened tournament expected to be completed late in the morning.

It's hard not to root for Jhonny Vegas, both because of the too-good-to-be-true name, as well as in-your-face, Hugo Chavez, rise from poverty.  Other than that, who really cares?

Jenny From the Hood - It was supposed to be Gerina from the hood, but the collar got a tad bit tight:

IRVING, Texas (AP) Jenny Shin won the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory, pulling away for a two-stroke victory at Las Colinas. 

Making her 135th tour start, Shin closed with a 4-under 67 to finish at 14-under 270. The 23-year-old South Korean player went to high school in Torrance, California, and won the 2006 U.S. Girls' Junior.

''Still in awe. Nothing has registered yet,'' Shin said. ''I wanted to talk to my mum, but I was on the verge of tears, so I hung up without really her answering the phone. I think it will hit me as soon as I talk to my mum.''

For those who care about such things, the headline is the continuing inability of Gerina Piller to get to the clubhouse.  That crucial putt she made in the Solheim Cup was supposed to propel her to the next step on the career ladder, but she was clearly uncomfortable in trying to close things out yestersay, as well as the prior week.

McGinley, Unplugged -  Irish Olympic Golf Cheerleader Paul McGinley shared his thoughts with Dermott Gilleece, including this predictable bit:

"As a realist and in the knowledge that I'm not going to change people's views, I'm still

sad that some players have decided not to go," said McGinley yesterday. "But I'm very confident Rory will play, because he has told me so. There wasn't the hint of indecision when we talked recently, prior to the Masters. 

"Rory acknowledges the Olympics as the biggest sporting event in the world and he wants to be part of it. He wants to represent Ireland and he wants to represent the sport of golf. It will be great to be involved in the Olympics and it will be a tremendous achievement if we come away with any colour of a medal."

That bit about representing Ireland is far more complicated than most might imagine, but we don't fault the young man for choosing the logical path.  Though he might be more excited were he entered in the Dead Lift or anything that might actually draw eyeballs....  But the piece had some other notes of interest.  Folks don't seem to really have picked up on how weak the fields will be, so this snippet might illuminate things:

For men, a country with four players or more in the top 15 in the Official World Rankings may enter four competitors. As it happens, this applies only to the US which, on current rankings, would have Jordan Spieth (2), Bubba Watson (4), Rickie Fowler (5) and Dustin Johnson (8) competing. Above that, nations are capped at two, and they could be down to one, depending on ranking. 

If the teams were to be finalised this morning, there would be no place for Patrick Reed, the current 12th-ranked player. But the field would include Adilson da Silva, ranked 335, from the host country, Brazil. Several other countries, including Netherlands, Italy and Zimbabwe, would also have only one representative.

Cry For Me, Zimbabwe, but does that put things in better perspective?  And yet, we're told that the players should take this seriously... then there was this:

Geographically, the women's scene couldn't be more different, with the US among the rank and file compared with the dominant South Koreans, who have currently no fewer than seven players in the world's top 15. Which means they will have four representatives in Rio while the US will have two. 

Female concerns about the Zika virus prompted current world No 2 Inbee Park to question if the Olympics "are being held in the right place."

The ladies field is even weaker due to the South Korean dominance, but the ladies are more enthusiastic for obvious reasons.  The men don't really need this but the ladies will try anything to promote their game...

And while this acknowledges the issue, I think the logic is back-assward:

"So it's crucial that we get through this comeback effort satisfactorily, with a tried and trusted format everybody is familiar with. When that's done and dusted, you can then contemplate a little bit of variation in the future, but only after you've got it back on the agenda and on a solid footing. 

"But if more players decide to pull out, we cannot look to further golf in the Olympics as a foregone conclusion. The International Olympic Committee might question whether it should continue to be an Olympic sport if the top players don't want to play. 

"On the other hand, if all goes well in Rio, I'll be very surprised if the organisers are not more creative down the line. Either way, we have to look on this as a glorious opportunity to grow the game."

And if Jason Day wins by 12 over Adilson da Silva?  Or, heaven forfend, Lydia contracts the Zika virus?

I believe that the decision for 2024 will be made before the 2020 Olympics, meaning that this summer's event will be all that can be assessed.  It may well be that the benevolent dictators of our game guessed wrong, and don't ever get the chance to get "more creative" because there is no "down the line."

Tour Confidential Bits - Some fun musings from the gang this week, including a remarkably cogent set of thoughts from one of our favorite piñatas, for instance:

1. John Daly will start a new chapter in his career this week when he makes his Champions tour debut at the Insperity Invitational outside of Houston. Looking back at what Daly has accomplished—two major wins and an Everyman, rip-it-and-grip-it appeal that has brought untold new fans to the game—does JD deserve consideration for a bust in the World Golf Hall of Fame?

Joe Passov.: If the World Golf Hall of Fame creates a Novelty Wing, sort of a sideshow attraction, John Daly is a slam dunk. Otherwise, forget it. I loved watching JD gripping it and ripping it, both in his heyday and beyond. However, the same issues that kept him from making a single Ryder Cup team, despite two majors, will keep him out of the hall.

Who are you and what have you done with Travelin' Joe?  That answer is far too sensible and, dare I say it, funny, to be the bearded one...  The carnival sideshow metaphor is spot-on, though as the other writers note the standards have been so lowered (Freddie, call your office) that the question can't be considered absurd.

 What's especially fun is that the other lads start riffing on Joe's suggestion to great effect:

Sens: Ok. I'll start, Joe. Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey. Word has it he plays with two gloves. Or maybe Eamonn Darcy for a swing that makes Furyk's look conventional.

Passov: Josh, I'll give you 10-time Tour winner Ky Laffoon (once took a pistol from his trunk and shot his putter three times) and Johnny Bulla (thrice a runner-up in majors, he played with a golf ball sold at Walgreens) and raise you a Moe Norman, the eccentric Canadian. When once told the hole was a "Drive and an 8-iron," he hit 8-iron from the tee, then smoked a driver onto the green.

Joe, you're da' man!  Where has this been all these years?  Then there was this:

2. Davis Love III told our Ryan Asselta last week that he would consider making Tiger Woods a playing-captain at the Ryder Cup in September if Woods returns this season and is "playing well." If you’re in Love's shoes, how well would Woods need to be playing for you to use one of your four picks on him?

Passov: No matter how unlikely it might appear right now that Tiger will be in that kind of form by August, it can't hurt to dangle that carrot. Having said that, the exhausting amount of speculating and second-guessing about captain's picks should be extinguished as soon as possible. Yes, it gives us all something to talk about, but those picks have had zero positive effect on U.S. outcomes over the past decade. We'd be better off picking out of a hat.

This is more the Joe we know and love, utilizing both sides of his mouth to great effect.  To be fair to Davis he was asked a specific question, but it was an unforced error (though not one of any significance).  Given the rampant speculation about Captain's picks, it would have been far better to not feed that beast anything.... 

Then the inevitable Tiger query:

3. Whispers that Tiger Woods might return to the Tour at the Wells Fargo Championship next week proved to be just that. From what you've seen and heard from Woods over the past couple of weeks, when do you think we will see him back in action.

Passov: I watched him up close at the Bluejack National opening this past Monday, playing his first holes since August. It was fun to see him swinging away, walking without a limp. Yet, he admitted to David Feherty that he was rusty, and that his speed and power needed to come back. He's just about there, but a month sounds about right. I'll go with Mark's pick of Memorial, the first week of June.

Well, Joe actually saw the guy play and walk, but that gives him one event before the beastly Oakmont.   We've seen Tiger attempt this before, but that's just a really difficult path, especially if he doesn't get in four rounds at Muirfield Village.

And this follow-up to one of our bonus threads from yesterday:

4. Kevin Kisner was suspended from his home club, Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, S.C., for filming a Vice Sports video that showed him and his buddies racing golf carts and guzzling beers at the club. Did the punishment fit the crime?

Passov: I'm completely confused as to how this "video" was greenlighted in the first place. I mean, the club had to know about it, right? After watching the video, I wasn't appalled with anything, even as I'll defend any club's rights to enforce its rules. Sure, it was boys acting like boys, but they didn’t do anything that isn't done at any other club I know of. Maybe the cart race at the beginning was foolish, as somebody really could get hurt, or property damaged ... but drinking beer? Gambling? At Bushwood? In Casablanca? I’m shocked, shocked!

Sens: As John Daly once said, "I hate them rules and crap." But the club has every right to have them and to enforce them. Kisner being a Tour pro gives him no special exemption. Guys in his salary bracket already get enough of them around tax time.

Of all the gin joints in the world... A combined Caddyshack-Casablanca daily double, well played, Joe.  

5. Golf stats whiz Mark Broadie computed the win probability for a hypothetical golfer with a fixed skill at most of the PGA Tour stroke-play events from 2011-15. His conclusion: The PGA Championship is the toughest tournament to win. Do you agree?

Van Sickle: I could not disagree more with Mr. Broadie. Due to the usual summer heat, the PGA's greens are usually watered to keep them alive. Thus the greens are receptive. You saw Jason Day get to 20 under par last summer at Whistling Straits, a record score, and he needed it to beat Jordan Spieth. I don't know how you define toughest to win but since the PGA often has the easiest scoring conditions, it's definitely not the toughest. The U.S. Open is more difficult, the Masters has more pressure and risky holes and the British Open carries the weight of history. I don't get it.

Read Broadie's piece for yourself if you have similar qualms, as I certainly do...  though I think Gary has been distracted by a shiny object above, as easier scoring conditions doesn't necessarily make an event easier to win.  

The biggest surprise to me is that Masters is No. 7, with a field that rivals the Olympics for depth.... of course, the difficulty there is garnering that precious invite.

It's Different Out Here - If you watch any of the Golf Channel's LPGA coverage, you've seen their ubiquitous ad campaign featuring some of their most visible players.

I caught this one yesterday:

Now this campaign is well targeted to the more personal appeal of the ladies, with one huge caveat.  They need to be a little quicker to rotate new spots in though, because I vividly remember them endlessly running these featuring Yani Tseng long after she had gone to her dark place.  And the above spot makes me wonder whether Michelle is, in fact, still on tour....