Tuesday Trifles

Lots of folks beclowning themselves, so let's have at it...

Ooops, Tour Edition - That Peak Oil thing has turned out to be as meaningful as the Population Time Bomb, but it appears that we have, in fact, reached Peak Tee Time on tour:

Due to an error at PGA Tour headquarters, 12 players who weren't supposed to be

Smylie, wassup with the funny hat?

entered in this week's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open will tee it up anyway. Although those dozen, as well as the other 132 players in the field, will have to hope for enough daylight to complete the first two rounds in time. 

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a clerical error entered 144 players into the Las Vegas field instead of the 132 tournament organizers requested.

So, how did this all come about?  That local paper linked in the excerpt has the skinny:

For the first time, the Shriners Open is being played in November, as the PGA Tour had to push back the finish of its 2015-16 season to accommodate the Olympics and Ryder Cup. It also meant delaying the start of the 2016-17 schedule and holding the Las Vegas Tour stop in early November instead of mid to late October, as traditionally has been the case.

Ummmm... I do so hate to be cynical, it's really not in my character.  But as I recall, the Tour held the John Deere opposite, i.e., in competition with, the Men's Olympic competition, so in what sense did they "push back" anything?

But this is obviously a one-off, and they'll be back to their traditional date in non-Olympic years?  Errr.....not so much:

With that in mind, the Shriners Open petitioned the tour in December to reduce the tournament field from 144 to 132 players in hopes of not having play spill over to the following day. The tour agreed, but a clerical error failed to have the reduction to 132 put into the tour’s computer. So when players and agents started looking into playing Las Vegas, it was with a 144-player field in mind. 

“They realized the mistake, but at that point there was nothing they can do,” Lindsey said. “We’re the fifth event next year, and we are playing in November again (Nov. 2 to 5). But we will have 132 in the field for 2017.”

One of the charming features of our game is that it can actually only be played in daylight....  But in a world in which the Tour has already screwed Web.com graduates by not providing the promised PGA Tour playing privileges, kiss twelve more goodbye.

Hasn't She Done Enough Already? - One of the divine pleasures of being a conservative, is watching liberals prove how illiberal they are....  Now the downside of the schadenfreude is watching the claws bared for those that wander off the reservation....

Today's installment comes courtesy of Martha Burke.  If that name rings a bell, she's the one that denied us bathroom breaks during the Masters for a few years.... Martha was granted space in the HuffPo, a marriage made in heaven:

To be clear, as the governing body of golf, the USGA, not the LPGA, is the Decider 

Defending champion Bethany Brittany Lang.

when it comes to where the Women’s Open is played. Technically the LPGA has no say. But without players there would be no tournament. So while the women can’t make the decision about location, they can make a decision individually — or better, collectively — not to participate.

Trump has reportedly guaranteed that he will cover any monetary losses on the event, a tiny price for a billionaire to pay to buy legitimacy from an organization that ought to care more about its own reputation. But it’s clear the USGA is at the core a boys club willing to exploit the women for monetary gain.

It’s way past time for the USGA to stand up for the players instead of standing down in favor of profits over principles.

Thanks for explaining the world to us, Martha, but what are these profits you speak of?  A U.S. Women's Open is a notorious money-loser, hence the difficulty of finding venues.  But here's the bit that I really love:

An online petition against the Trump location is gathering steam, and some members of the U.S. Senate have come onboard with a letter urging the USGA to find another venue for the tournament. But the USGA refuses to budge. One reason may be the players themselves. Most if not all of them are members of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, and they’re acting like good little girls and remaining mute, or saying they don’t see a problem with playing their most important tournament at a course owned by the country’s leading misogynist.

Wow, an online petition.... that's some serious stuff.  But what I love most is that those women that have a different opinion, she just can't resist demeaning them, can she?  And does so utilizing the most misogynistic trope....  Good work, Martha!.

Shack has a long post on this subject, including a longish video from Morning Drive.  USA Today's Christine Brennan makes a calmer case for moving the event, and an all-start panel throws in their reactions.  Calm is good, though I myself remain unpersuaded, as it all seems to be virtue signalling, a staple of the left.  Yes Trump's comments to Billy Bush were despicable, but he's also been very supportive of women's golf.  Is it really beyond the pale to listen to the LPGA players that want to go forward at his club?  

I find it rich for Martha Burke to suggest that the ladies should simply pass on the most important event of the year.... Because, you know, womyn!

Another Turkey of a Venue - Remember how Tiger was going to play in Turkey?  Yeah, not such a great idea it turns out....

The U.S. Department of State on Saturday issued an updated Turkey Travel Warning that ordered “the departure of family members of employees posted to the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey. The Department of State made this decision based on security information indicating extremist groups are continuing aggressive efforts to attack U.S. citizens in areas of Istanbul where they reside or frequent.”

The Turkish Airlines Open is in Antalya, about 300 miles south of Istanbul. However, the Antalya area was hit with three rocket attacks earlier this month. 

Meanwhile, the State Department “continues to warn U.S. citizens of increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey. U.S. citizens should avoid travel to southeast Turkey and carefully consider the risks of travel to and throughout the country."

The news is that Rory and Patrick reed have pulled out, in addition to Tiger.  The reader should feel free to insert his or her own bomb-and-gouge joke....

But the placement of this item below Martha is entirely intentional, to highlight the selective nature of the outrage industry.

Nobody has a word to say when Tiger chases seven-figure appearance fees in Turkey or Dubai....  But Donald Trump said something bad about women.  But really, this has nothing to do with the election....

Venuefreude - Apparently Shack isn't the only one dreaming up interesting golf events, a get a load of this:

In a rare occurrence, four-balls and foursomes will make their way into a college-golf event. 

The Cypress Point Classic, which begins Monday at the famed Pebble Beach, Calif., layout designed by Alister MacKenzie, is a 54-hole event hosted by Stanford that features four-ball, foursomes and singles match play. 

In all, eight of the top teams in the country will compete in a unique event: No. 7 Stanford, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 11 USC, No. 15 Georgia, No. 30 Georgia Tech, No. 45 UCLA, No. 49 Alabama and No. 102 California. 

Stanford head coach Conrad Ray said the event is inspired by “The Match,” the Mark Frost book which recounts the famed four-ball match at Cypress Point between Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and amateurs E. Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi.

Cypress Friggin' Point!   Any chance we could get Golf Channel to cover this?  I know we'd have to preempt The Golf Fix, but you know, pay any price, bear any burden....

Via Shack, some spectacular pics of the joint:

The fescued edges of the bunkers I believe was added since I was lucky enough to play there twice in the 80's.  I always tell people that it's the three best golf courses you'll never play (and I'll never play again).  The opening holes are the best parkland holes in the world, the middle stretch is the best dunes course in the world, and then you hit those three ocean-front holes.  

Such as this from the famed 16th:

Goddamn spoiled college kids!

Mano a Mano - No doubt you've heard this news already:

Unfortunately, Jason Day's bad back will keep him out of several events this fall,

including a scheduled charity match against Rory McIlroy. But if you have to replace the World No. 1, getting the World No. 2 is not a bad fallback plan. 

Such is the case for the Nov. 29 exhibition in the Philippines, dubbed "Battle For A Cause." Instead of Rory vs. Jason, golf fans will get Rory vs. Dustin. 

Dustin Johnson agreed to take Day's spot in the fundraising event, from which proceeds will mainly go toward typhoon relief efforts. Day's mom is from the Philippines and he had family members die in the devastating typhoon in the area in 2013. The match will take place at Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club in Pampanga.

Now I like that this is for charity, but the Tour Confidential panel was asked to pick their dream match-up, and their answers amused me (perhaps you're not as cheap a date).  First was this about a rematch:

BACON: The easy answer here is Rory versus Jordan Spieth, but the golf nerd in me wants to see Rory and Patrick Reed go at it again. My only concern would be interest; if Reed isn't playing for his country, is he that interested? 

RITTER: Rory-Reed is clearly the match. Shane, you just have to trick Patrick into thinking the future of America is at stake.

And this of course reminds of those Tiger under-the-lights matches, which Alan puts in perspective:

SHIPNUCK: The problem is that this current crop of superstars are all nice guys and they get along well so there is no dramatic tension. Tiger brought all of his weirdness and petty grudges to these exhibitions, so when he squared off against Sergio or Phil or Duval there was still an edginess to the proceedings.

Though, as I recall, didn't the Tiger-Sergio era of bad feelings start in their made-for-TV match?  It's so hard to keep all of Tiger's blood feuds straight.... 

And this was mildly amusing as well:

PASSOV: Even if Tiger Woods showed up on crutches and Phil Mickelson were heavily medicated with Enbrel, I'd pay to see that, right now.

I guess Joe didn't hear that Tiger withdrew from that.....

Ethical Dilemmas, A Practical Guide -  John Paul Newport, who I gather is no longer at the WSJ, has a column under this unpromising header:

ETHICAL DILEMMA: WHAT IF YOU DON'T LIKE A CLUB'S POLICIES, BUT YOU REALLY LIKE ITS GOLF COURSE?

 It's not nearly as bad as I feared, because JPN is at least honest enough to share his own hypocrisy.....  we're all human.

This reminds of a funny moment years back.  I was then engaged to the woman who was to become my first wife, and we were discussing whether a broken engagement required the woman to return the ring.  Prescient, wasn't it?  If only it was the engagement that was broken....

But I turned to the mother of a friend of ours and asked, Darcy, what do you think?  To which she gave this absolutely perfect answer:

Could I please see the ring again?

In our current subject, I take that to mean it very much depends on which golf course we're talking about.....  I ain't turning down Pine Valley or the above-referenced Cypress Point, but I'll be happy to turn down Trump's Briar Hall course, because, womyn!

Newport does a better job than most, but like many he conflates clubs with governing bodies, which I find an annoying category error.  An individual club has the right to maintain its membership policies that they see fit, and if I don't like them my remedy is to pound sand.  But obviously the USGA and R&A, as the old commercial stated, should answer to a higher authority....

Newport, to his credit reminds of this quite unsavory fact:

For golf historically, more than for the major spectator sports, controversies have played

out at the local and personal level. Long after the PGA of America removed its infamous "Caucasian-only clause" in 1961, private clubs continued to discriminate based on race, religion, ethnicity and gender. Some still do. This practice, in most cases perfectly legal, endures in part because of the tacit support of people who accept invitations to play or socialize at such clubs.

Yeah, that was most unfortunate....  But he also reminds of the Tom Watson example:

But small acts like declining invitations do matter. If the person whose invitation you refuse is at all sensitive to the issue, he or she may raise a hand at the next club meeting. If enough people turn down invites, clubs over time will make changes. That’s how boycotts work. That’s how society evolves. What happened when Tom Watson resigned from the Kansas City (Mo.) Country Club over the blackballing of a prospective Jewish member? He exerted just enough pressure for the club to reverse its thinking.

Bear with me as I state the obvious...  the difference is that Tom saw something he didn't like, and he disassociated himself from it.  he sacrificed.  Virtue signalers such as Martha Burke?  They call on others to sacrifice....

Let me leave you with one other small thought, and then you can get on with your day.  I acknowledge the power of symbolism, and I hate the patriarchy as much as the next guy.  But Martha would have us believe that it's the most important issue in the world that Augusta National admit women....

So, she's actually won that argument...  A few years later ANGC quietly admitted Condi Rice and Darla Moore.  The R&A has admitted Lady Bonallack as well.  Did the earth move for you?  A couple of well-connected women that know not show up too often are admitted into exclusive clubs, which really doesn't increase in any way opportunities for women.  So, it's important why?

OK, you're free to go now....