Monday Mishegoss

Nothing to wrap on this particular Monday, unless you want to hear about my frist two days on skis.... Knee shots on my opening day were a first, but it was cold out there.

Leakage - Our subject is the insider trading cae against Phil Mickelson and Billy Walters, the one in which, metaphorically-speaking, Phil's ball skipped across the water and landed safely on dry land.  You may not recall, but at the time there seemed to be way too much information available in the press about an ongoing investigation...  Now we know the how:

An FBI agent leaked confidential information to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times while investigating golfer Phil Mickelson and businessman and renowned sports

bettor Billy Walters over allegations of insider trading, according to a letter filed by the Department of Justice on Friday in federal court. 

In the filing, the government reveals that an agent "admitted that he was a significant source of confidential information leaked to reporters at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times about the underlying investigation." 

"The agent further admitted that, prior to his Dec. 6 interview, he had hidden those communications with the press from both the USAO and others within the FBI," the letter, submitted by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, states. "Based upon the agent's admissions, which the USAO and the FBI regard with the utmost seriousness, it is now an incontrovertible fact that there were FBI leaks of confidential information to the press regarding this investigation."

The disclosure of confidential information could be a violation of criminal procedure.

Could?  Ummm....that's a better bet than the stock tip....

Not the best of years for the FBI, eh?  But no guidance is provided as to the motivation of the agent, who may well be on the receiving end of three hots and a cot from Uncle Sam.

Wrappage - Of the annual kind, that is.... Dottie Pepper weighs in with her highs and lows for 2016, and the same looking forward to 2017.  Like you, I approached this with some trepidation, but I'm pleased to report that "CTR:F Chokin' freakin' dogs" yields zero results.

But the next time Dottie sticks her CBS mic into the face of a certain Kiwi lass should be delightfully awkward:

6. Lydia Ko's housecleaning. Caddie Jason Hamilton was the first to get a pink slip, but then about a month later, David Leadbetter and Sean Hogan were also dismissed. I'm not

going to judge the personalities involved, but I will always be critical of over-involved parents/spouses as well as students and teachers who don't arrive at tournaments with their preparation complete. 

Tournament time is when you put your work on auto pilot and play golf, not try to reinvent the wheel with a teacher stuck to you like cellophane. Leadbetter (and he's not alone in this) constantly shows up at the biggest events and is over-involved with the student, not just applying a bit of polish and a pop of confidence. I also found this particular case fascinating because Hogan was Lydia's day-to-day coach, not Leadbetter. But when the biggest events rolled around, Leadbetter was the one present.

No, Dottie, it would be wrong of you to judge the personalities involved....

But how is this different from any other player out there?  For years we saw Tiger with Butch/Hank/Sean/Chris attached at the hip....  That seemed to work out reasonably well....   

There's no question that the "take ownership" criticism of Lydia came from Leadbetter, but finally Lydia responds:

Now, a little more than a week later, the Rolex world No. 1 is publicly speaking out about the split for the first time, and she's setting the record straight. 

“I think I have, yes, sometimes been too reliant on my parents because I am so used to being with them. But I think I need to learn more about taking ownership and making my own decisions.” 

Ko continued, "Of course I discussed my decision [to split from Leadbetter] with my parents. They gave their opinions, too. But at the end of the day I made the final decision to change. ... My parents are a big part of my golfing career and I know I wouldn’t be here without them."

No one likes being dumped, but it's also a bit easy blaming the parents.  I get that people are concerned when she's changing everything, myself included.  But let's focus on those decisions, and avoid the easy explanations....

Plus, we all know it started going pear-shaped when she ditched the glasses....

Back to Dottie with this looking forward:

2. Jay Monahan takes over as PGA Tour commissioner. Tim Finchem did an incredible

job in more than two decades as commissioner, but I'm excited to see the influence and direction under Monahan. New ideas already seem to be flowing and coming to fruition with a big change at the New Orleans PGA Tour stop (a team format), talk of schedule changes that would see the season end closer to Labor Day and before football really gets cranking, as well as rumblings of a possible LPGA/PGA Tour mixed event.

Incredible?  If Nurse Ratched was so damn incredible, why are you so excited about his successor?

This isn't the time for a review of those twenty years, and there's little doubt that his players are happy about the checks they're cashing every week.  But there's also little doubt, at least to this observer, that the game suffered from ill-considered scheduling and format decisions....

Wasteage - As in talent, copious amounts of God-given talent.... Just when you think you've heard it all, John Daly has more for us:

Daly went on ESPN Radio’s The Dan Le Batard Show on Thursday to promote Loudmouth Golf, but he also answered all of the hosts’ questions candidly. 

You probably think by now that you’ve heard every John Daly story. But when will you

learn? Daly is a never-ending onion, as he will always be peeling layer after layer of his life. 

In the interview, Daly relayed a tale of how he let loose a bunch of cash in order to teach his then-wife (and now ex-wife) Sherri a lesson. 

“I won like $55,000 in the casino and I said (to Sherri), if you’re going to yell and scream at me about this, I threw it over the bridge going over to Memphis from Arkansas. I threw all the money out the (car) window and said, ‘You know what, if you want that money, you can go find it. But let me tell you something, you don’t have a job. You’re not working. I’m supporting you, I’m paying all the bills.’

And the moral of the story would be?  So of course that's the story from this interview that's getting the buzz, but it's the thoroughly buried lede that's of far greater interest.  Because it seems that our hero has assessed his life and its many mistakes, and has come up with a foolproof way to ensure that his future relationships work out better:

Finally, we saved the best for last, Daly gave some more thoughts on women. Daly has been married four times and is currently engaged to Anna Cladakis. 

Daly said that he took too much blame for the divorces in the past, and changing his mindset there altered his life. But still that’s four failed marriages. 

Why did Daly have so much trouble finding the right woman? Was it because he had such terrible judgement on women? 

“No, I’m like Jesus. My problem is I love ’em all.”

Exactly like Jesus.... but forgive me for being churlish, but I'm more ythan a tad skeptical that the abrogation of personal responsibility represents a new strategy....

Confidentialage -  Golf.com's Tour Confidential panel pushed their eggnog away (well, I'm not sure about Travelin' Joe) and took on some year-end issues.  First, was a question about the Tiger Bridgestone deal, to which they had these common-sense responses:

Alan Shipnuck: Without even knowing the terms I'd say it's a great deal for Bridgestone. No offense to Brandt Snedeker or Matt Kuchar but Tiger brings a heckuva lot more juice, even in his diminished state. 

Michael Bamberger: I don't think I know or have ever met a golfer that is going to switch his or her golf ball allegiance on the basis of playing what ONE player on Tour plays. Even if that player is Tiger Woods.

We can't really have an opinion on the deal without knowing what they paid him....  But there's no question that they got some short-term buzz.  But that came at a time when most of the country has their sticks on the shelf.

This was a little more provocative:

2. We've spent a lot of time over the last year debating DJ and Spieth, Tiger and Trump, the Rules and Rory. What story from 2016 deserved more attention than it received?

Sens: Given the explosive growth of Topgolf and other firms of what you might call golf-related entertainment, I thought more attention could have been paid to these golf hybrids and what they do or don't portend for the traditional golf market. Is this where we are headed? Is there a way to tap into Topgolf's movement to, you know, grow the game? 

Ritter: Great call, Josh. My default answer for this question is always "the LPGA," which remains rife with great stories and rising stars, like Brooke Henderson, who this year stared down Lydia Ko for her first major. I also think college golf deserves more mainstream coverage. The NCAA final between Texas and Oregon last summer was epic.

I'm guilty on this one as well:

The other is Gene Sauers, who overcame a life-threatening skin disease and years away from the game to come back and win the U.S. Senior Open. That title itself is generally regarded as the most prestigious in Senior golf, and it used to attract lots of attention. Despite a worthy venue this year, Scioto Country Club in Columbus, where Jack Nicklaus learned the game, the event was marred by horrible weather, and Sauers' performance got lost in the shuffle to some extent. They should not only rebroadcast the tournament, they should make a movie about Sauers' life.

Yes, they should but won't....  

3. In 2016 we saw The Big Three get shutout in terms of major victories, and all four major winners were first-timers. In 20 years when we look back at the year of golf in 2016, will it be memorable, forgettable, or somewhere in between?

Bamberger: Oh, memorable, for sure, most especially the U.S. Open, Olympic golf, the Ryder Cup--and Jordan's Sunday at Augusta.

Shipnuck: I think two decades from now we'll look back and see this was the year the balance of power at the Ryder Cup shifted dramatically, touching off a new era of U.S. dominance. On the LPGA a whole new wave of young stars emerged. Those are big deals. But how 2016 is remembered may be tied to what Dustin does from here - if he goes on a big run, as I think he will, Oakmont becomes a very important spot on the timeline.

Eh, not so much....  Shockingly, only one of the ink-stained wretched mentioned the most memorable day of the year, the Henrik-Phil shootout at the OK Corral.... 

A bit of a Year of the Meltdown, Jordan, the USGA and Peter Willet....

Speaking of Clan Willet, Shack has this amusing item:

As we wrap up the year, Danny Willett's Masters seems like ages ago. And based on the annual BBC Sports Personality Of The Year vote totals, few in Britain even know who what Willett did. 

Nothing against the amazing Paralympians that he finished behind, or the dozen others who finished behind Andy Murray, but is this and Justin Rose's non-nomination a reflection on golf or Willett's less-than-stellar post-Masters play?

Does anyone know who any of these people are, excepting Andy Murray?  And let that be a lesson for all those that thought the Olympics was a home run for golf....

And looking forward in multiple ways:

4. Who is your breakout player for 2017 and why?

Passov: I've been on the Hideki Matsuyama bandwagon since 2014--just check my predictions in my majors office pools--and his late-year surge in 2016 makes me that much more confident that he'll be a legitimate Top-5 player in 2017. I see multiple wins--and if not a major victory, at least three Top-5s. 

Bamberger: Not truly a breakout, but a return to the form that made her a breakout player at age 17: Lydia Ko. 

Shipnuck: Pat Perez. He already has a win this season and is eager to become the player he was supposed to be.

Pat Perez?  I almost spit out my coffee.... Other votes were for Rafa and Daniel Berger.

5. Santa has bestowed you with the power to hand out one present to a Tour pro. Who's the lucky pro and what are you giving him or her?

Sens: To Sergio. The self-belief necessary to finally win a major, tied up in a bow, beneath the tree.

Ritter: To Tiger, 12 months of perfect health. I want to see where this comeback goes.

Bamberger: To Phil, a U.S. Open trophy.

 Fair enough, but good luck with this one, Joe:

Passov: To Lexi Thompson, a smoother putting stroke and a putter that behaves on command. With her length, looks and personality, she could actually carry the LPGA (and American fan interest) to another level, but she needs not only to win more, but to contend more on the biggest stages.

I'm in my charitable holiday mode, so we'll just assume that's the eggnog talking....

6. Who wins more money in 2017: Phil or Tiger?

This one sounds about right:

Sens: Phil. But Jordan's still buying drinks for both of them when the season's done.

Paybackage -  This is amusing, though has about the same effect as "Cut it out, Vlad":

That's stickin' it to the patriarchy!