Midweek Musings

Early golf tomorrow, so you might want to save the second half of today's riveting post for then....

Time to Move On? - People just can't seem to let go of that Sunday madness....  First, Shack:

Namely, many are upset at the time Jordan Spieth's drop took and the impact on Matt Kuchar. Some are still upset that the driving range was not marked as out-of-bounds. And some are unhappy that Spieth could hit such a poor drive and use the rules to his

advantage. 

A few random rebuttals and reads that hopefully help shed a different light beyond what I wrote above: 

- Spieth's tee shot ended up on the side of a huge dune almost 100 yards from the fairway. The ball hit a spectator. The combination of visibility issues and simply maneuvering on a steep, wet hill made it hard for anyone to move quickly or figure out options.

- The range was too far out of play to be seen as a necessary boundary. Sure, the 10th fairway was declared out of bounds on Tuesday of tournament week to prevent 350 yard short cuts, so it certainly could have been declared OB in the same way. But I just don't think anyone could fathom the range being in play.

- As soon as Spieth saw how bad the lie was, he had the clarity to start looking at unplayable lie options, briefly at the base of the dune and then going as far back as he wanted, keeping the ball in line with the hole. He had to move back up the dune to sort out the line with the walking referee. That took a while.

- Spieth should not be blamed for the tour trucks having not left town. Nor is it his fault that the range was left unmarked as a boundary.

- Apparently not seen on the American broadcast was Spieth's drop between the tour trucks, which took a few minutes to sort out and was ultimately resolved by John Paramor, roving official and European Tour rules man. Once he was on the scene things moved along.

- In watching Spieth and Greller work, I actually sensed Jordan might have rushed the shot once he got his line of play and the crowd somewhat settled down. He did not strike it perfectly and from his vantage point, the shot seemed way right. But as Bones noted today on Morning Drive, Greller's yardage call was a great guess. Oh, and rangefinder advocates, a distance measuring device would not have sped things up much or looked very good.

I know, his post takes as long to read as Jordan taking relief, but he was actually there.  He's correct that NBC failed to show the original drop among the towering equipment company vans, though it was discussed.  As for that last bit, a GPS watch would have been the ticket....

But I'm always amused that people want a golf course, spread over hundreds of acres, to be as locked down as a basketball court...

Remember way back to yesterday?  That was when I speculated about how Rory might have handled the same situation:

Rory would have shrugged his shoulders, mumbled "Whatevah" and trundled back to the tee.

Apparently Karen Crouse of the NY Times reads the blog, as she tries tomake a similar comparison:

Each is riveting in his own way. Both have a strong stage presence, but neither pretends to be anything — starting with invulnerable — that he isn’t. 

“There’s a lot of roads to get there,” Spieth said Sunday night at the 146th British Open, regarding his success in majors. He was contrasting his low-stress final-round 70 at the 2015 Masters with his high-wire 69 on Sunday at Royal Birkdale, but he could have been talking about the approaches of the two players locked in perhaps the most compulsive contest in men’s golf. 

It would be easy to frame the rivalry between McIlroy and Spieth as the millennial version of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, with McIlroy cast in Palmer’s role as the swashbuckling feel player, a showman who sees the course as his stage, and Spieth as Nicklaus’s strait-laced technician, a statistician who treats the course like a spreadsheet.

Doesn't work a lick, does it?  But the saving grace is this bit from Rory:

“You look at Jack Nicklaus, he went through a stretch where he didn’t win a major in three years,” McIlroy said. “I’m not comparing myself to Jack. It’s hard to win them. It’s very hard. It’s the reason, especially in this generation, excluding Tiger, no one’s got above five.”

That's the ticket, Rors....  But, if I may, a couple of follow-ups:

1. How many cuts did Jack miss during his time in the wilderness, and;
2. How did Jack play on Thursdays?

On the one hand, we all understand that inconsistency is part of Rory's golf DNA....  On the other hand, 5-over after 6 holes in perfect scoring weather?  

Shockingly, Alan Shipnuck got a few queries on this subject in his weekly mailbag:

"Have you ever witnessed anything like Spieth's recovery from that drive on 13? If he'd missed that bogey putt it could have been different story." -Sean (@SeanT666)

If Jean Van de Velde had birdied every hole of the playoff at the 1999 Open then, yes, we would have witnessed something similar. For drama, nuttiness and sheer chaos, JVDV's folly on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie is the only thing I've seen that compares to Jordan's career-defining bogey. But of course Van de Velde couldn't rally after his cock-up, because he's merely human, unlike Spieth.

That was the only comparable that I could think of as well...  Just in terms of how time slowed down and it took an eternity to play out.  Jordan on the dune vs. JVDV in the water with his pants rolled up....

"Under the rules could Kuchar have completed the 13th hole while JS got his ruling, explored his options, etc.? If yes, wouldn't that have been advisable?" -Patrick (@Paddyf67) 

In stroke play, there is no penalty for playing out of turn. So yes, Kuchar could have 

Resting?  Or did he just want to be eye-to-eye with Woodie?

walked up to the green and tried his birdie putt rather than getting iced for the better part of half an hour. But it would have been awkward in the extreme – Spieth's ball could have materialized out of the ether to doink him on the head, the crowd would have been restless/distracted, and it would be been such a breach of protocol that Kuch would've had trouble pulling the putter back with all the juju swirling around. So, he made the right call, even though that meant having to stew on probably his most important putt of the day...which he missed, failing to apply extra pressure on Spieth when it could have been monumental.

Kooch handled it as well as he could, playing his second into the green and then taking a knee.

Reminds me of perhaps my most bizarre day on a golf course, a President's Cup match back at Willow Ridge.  A major cock-up, to use Alan's term, on the 8th hole leading to the other match going on ahead of my match.  Amusingly, the guy that lost that match could be heard muttering on the final hole that he shouldn't have to pay the caddie because he didn't get any help from him..  Well, yeah!

"Arnie at Cherry Hills in 1960: 3rd major victory, front nine 30 on Sunday was his defining moment as ARNIE. Birkdale 2017, Spieth's 3rd major, was this his MOMENT?" -David (@DStan58)

Unquestionably. Spieth didn't just secure a massive victory, he restored his brand in an audacious way. I said this on Twitter, but for all the Tiger comparisons that come with Spieth's precocious achievements, he reminds me more of Phil, in that there is a volatility to Jordan's game and at any moment he's capable of a big miss. But on Sunday at Birkdale, Spieth combined the best of both of them, scrambling like Phil and then closing ruthlessly like Tiger.

I do agree that after ANGC 2016, this was no doubt big for the young man...  But defing moments should only be defined after the defining is over....

A couple of interesting takes on Rory

"I found watching Rory painful - constantly making basic errors at the wrong time. Yet still he tied for 4th. Is this a sign of decline or promise?" -Mark (@mocycling) 

Both. It was another maddening performance in a long string of them. Hard to believe McIlroy has now gone three calendar years without a major championship victory in what should be the prime of his career. There have been injuries, lawsuits, equipment changes, marriage proposals, a lavish wedding, putting slumps and various other extenuating circumstances, but the bottom line is that since the start of 2015 he's down 3-0 to Spieth in major wins. Given this fitful year and his awful start at Birkdale, Rory's eventual finish has to be considered a positive, though I remember a similar spin after McIlroy's backdoor T7 at Augusta. He now has one tournament left on one of his favorite courses to salvage a lost year. Which brings us to… 

"How important is the PGA to Rory?" -Aaron (@atf8912) 

Well, it means everything. If he wins it's the ultimate clap back to Spieth. Given his track record at Quail Hollow, Rory has been the presumptive favorite for about five years. But it's asking a lot to suddenly find the old magic after scuffling for six months. It's a major gut-check for Rory and it will be fascinating to see how he responds. Nothing I've seen tells me Rory is ready to ball-out for a full 72 holes, but he has now become the game's ultimate enigma, and it's almost impossible to predict what he'll do next.

So now we're defining it as a defining moment before it even happens...  I'd just add that, in addition to being a venue that Rory likes, it also projects to be the conditions (North Carolina in August, anyone?) in which Rory thrives.

Shall we at long last see what else is going on in the world of golf?

Miss Congeniality -  The PGA Tour holds an off-field event the week of The Open Championship, something called The Barbasol Championship.  I know, but at least it isn't The Pure Silk Championship....   In any event, it was won by one of golf's recent bad boys:

Outspoken PGA Tour rookie Grayson Murray scored the first victory of his career

Sunday, shooting 3-under 68 to win the Barbasol Championship by one stroke at 21-under. 

Needing par at 18 to avoid a playoff, Murray hit the green from 165 yards out and two-putted to clinch the win at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Grand National. 

Murray made news several times this season with a series of scrutinized tweets and a split with caddie Mike Hicks, but he’s recently put together a solid stretch which has included 10 consecutive cuts made and a T-18 finish at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June. He also recorded a T-8 at the Sanderson Farms Championship and a T-12 at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January.

Outspoken?  You mean like Robert Allenby?

A while back we had a long-form piece on the young man, who's managed to create controversy and enmity at every stop of his career.  Now he certainly has shown the talent to compete out there, but it comes in a compromised package.  

We've called him out for his anti-social behavior, but there's no cause to hate on the young man.  My take was that if you have trouble fitting in, perhaps the bubbling cauldron of competitive golf isn't the perfect career choice....  At least not in conjunction with an active twitter account.

Turn The Paige - Another item that certain folks won't let go of is the LPGA's new dress code....But you don't need to be a widely-followed blogger to know that Paige Spirinac is not the perfect messenger...  So, shall we all enjoy some slut-shaming?  Amusing, writing at Fortune.com:

Earlier this month, the LPGA released a new dress code policy that greatly restricts

female athletes’ apparel choices on the golf course. Among the new rules: no leggings

My bad.  I 

now see how this promotes women's progress.

(unless worn under shorts or a skort), joggers, or anything with a plunging neckline. I respect and understand that golf is enveloped in tradition and that certain rules and regulations must be upheld. But as both an ambassador for golf and an advocate for the continued progress of women’s rights and equality in society, I fear that these new rules are stifling the growth of the women’s game.

Is that what you are?  Silly me, I just took you for another Internet babe....

In other professional sports, uniforms have evolved to contemporary cuts and materials designed to meet athletes’ elevated physical demands. Pole vaulters, for instance, often jump in sports bras and briefs to allow for maximum limb movement, while limiting the amount of clothing that could catch the bar. Tennis players wear sleeveless tops and skirts with spandex shorts so that they can hit, reach, and lunge for the ball effectively. Similarly, in order to perform at the optimal level, golfers need to be able to rotate, extend, crouch, and bend, often in extreme weather conditions for up to five or six hours at a time.

Slow down, girl, I'd like to hear more about the crouching and bending....  Do you bend like this?

And the crouching, I'm hoping it looks something like this:

So, we've done our share for the continued progress of women in society, and I feel much better for that effort.

But Paige assures us that my tone is inappropriate, because this is serious stuff:

Up to this point, there have been no incidences or photos of LPGA players dressed in a way that has cast the tour in a negative light. Because of this, it’s easy to assume that the new dress code is simply a formality and won’t have much impact on the game. But if the LPGA players themselves aren’t the problem, these new rules may have been put in place as an exclusionary measure to make sure that only players who echo golf’s more traditional, conservative norms are attracted to and excel at the sport. 

Furthermore, aside from singling out a certain style of dress, it also, perhaps unintentionally, singles out a certain body type, over which women have no control.

No control?  Yes, certain side-boobs, and thank you for that, Christina Kim, are larger, excuse me, proportioned differently, than others, but slutty is slutty.  More importantly, virtually every career has a dress code, and that code provides a benefit to the newbies, who might not be aware of how to present themselves professionally.  

Take the vague banning of “plunging necklines.” What constitutes a plunging neckline? Most likely, this edict was put into place to eliminate the presence of cleavage. In that case, a curvier, fuller-figured woman would be chided and fined far more often than a woman with a smaller bust. In a world where women are continually and unwantedly sexualized, this new rule serves as yet another reason for women to feel ashamed of their bodies, and a reminder that to be respected, they must alter their behavior because of outside perception.

Nobody better dare question my bona fides as relates to being pro-cleavage...  I think my record here speaks for itself.   And she just goes on and on:

If professionalism in golf equals athleticism, then athleticism should be promoted and showcased, and that means allowing the clothes that promote it. By labeling women as looking “unprofessional” when showing cleavage or shorts worn under a skirt, the LPGA is perpetrating the outdated stereotypes about the connection between what a woman wears and her morals, as well as insinuating that women do not have control over the perception of their bodies, but rather that they must bend to the every whim of the male gaze.

Exactly how the display of cleavage promotes athleticism remains a mystery... as does how the absence of cleavage-on-parade represents bending to the whim of the patriarchy.

And her rousing call to.... errr....arms...no, cleavage:

I may not go down in history as the best female golfer to ever play, however my intent is to do whatever I can to grow the game. In the age of millennials, women’s rights, and female empowerment, I hope my voice helps to encourage the next generation of great female athletes and golfers to possibly stop social injustices and prejudices from creeping into the game that I fell in love with at such a young age.

That "may not" is quite the howler, though I'd recommend a full-stop after the word "history."

Lexi at least had some fun with it:

Lest you think that she put an awful lot of effort into it, that was from a photo shoot a few years back.

Gear Notes - You've no doubt caught the Epic commercials featuring Jailbreak Technology.....Curious that, but it is catchy.  

If?  Are we sure it's not Phil, after all, who else would need more than one?

Whoever handles Seamus Golf's public relations is bringing it...  First, they got this podcast at Golf.com up, and with a catchy header to grab clicks:

From a beer bong to the British Open: the story of accessory enterprise Seamus Golf

What, no picture of Paige Spirinac bending over the beer bong?  No doubt you know thie headcovers...

Now comes Shack pitching their shows:

There are several interesting aspects to this, first that they think there's an opportunity in shoes.  I'm curious as to what kind of distribution is to be had, because it's a cluttered category in which you're taking on the big boys.  Yes, there's margin, as we've seen by Nike staying in it and Adidas hanging on to their shoe an apparel business in the sale of TaylorMade.

Secondly, the first Eye on Design piece he did was about golf course drainage, so I naturally assumed that he meant design as in design, a subject in which he's very qualified.  I don't mind him showing us new products at all, but I'd rather he focus on actual design.

Lastly, anybody know what's up with True Linkswear?  That's the only real comparable I can think of....

Funniest Tweet of the Day - It's really quite hard to believe this was published, but at least it doesn't involve Grayson Murray:

I'm guessing that Jim doesn't watch a lot of golf, despite living near Royal North Devon, which the bride and I will be playing in a couple of weeks.  Don't you like how I worked that in?

Crazy, Final Answer - This would be a good one for Geoff:

Is what the USGA is thinking about doing to Riviera's 18th at the U.S. Amateur crazy or brilliant?

Here's the background:

At famed Riviera Country Club, the 315-yard 10th hole is easily one of the more

intriguing drivable par 4s on the PGA Tour. But when the U.S. Amateur comes to the George Thomas course outside Los Angeles next month, there’s another more surprising hole where players might be asked to weigh the risk/reward of going for the green off the tee: the par-4 18th. 

No, that’s not a typo. 

Tournament director Ben Kimball told Fox Sports Radio earlier this week that classic dogleg-right finishing hole that’s listed at 475 yards at the tour’s Genesis Open might get a makeover, with a more forward tee used to play the hole. No doubt a drivable hole as the last in regulation during the match-play portion of the championship would bring a different level of drama to the event, but does it come at some cost in terms of changing the fundamental nature of the classic hole? 

“I don’t necessarily know,” Kimball said when posed the question, noting he’s 50-50 on going ahead with the idea. “But given that it’s match play, you have a little bit of flexibility to try and advance some things that you normally wouldn’t if it was the U.S. Open or Senior Open. Riviera provides a lot of flexibility in the setup. We’re excited about enhancing that flexibility throughout the course of the U.S. Amateur.”

This seems quite silly to me, as you've got the best of the genre earlier in the routing.  Two seems too gimmicky to me....

See you Friday.