I didn't think we'd be leading with Phil for a fourth consecutive day, but in the hyper-competitive blog business one needs to give the paying customers what they want....
Upon Further Review - Why it took from 2;00 p.m. Saturday until Wednesday remains in dispute, but Phil clarified that he's not as smart as the guy he plays on TV. Here is his apology, though why he needed to run on at such length is curious:
“I know this should've come sooner, but it's taken me a few days to calm down. My anger and frustration got the best of me last weekend. I'm embarrassed and disappointed by my actions. It was clearly not my finest moment and I’m sorry.”
Phil, don't worry yourself over the timing, that only matters is you intended for us to take it seriously... Shack has a more comprehensive reaction, as well as his wish that we can now all move on.... Perhaps, though I'm thinking I can milk this puppy for another week or so:
(A) he was not forced into his behavior(B) it was not that funny(C) it was potentially legacy-tainting(D) there is no need for detractors to toughen up(E) this was a disastrous look for someone with an untarnished track record of playing by the Rules of Golf(F) the USGA will still not condemn his actions for reasons unknown(G) children, don't try this at home
But Geoff, just to be safe I'm going to toughen up anyway.... I was going to refer to it as a non-apology, yanno, the kind where you're profoundly sorry if your words or actions were misinterpreted. But that's not really fair, as there's some actual contrition expressed. But it's more that he can only go there after making sure we understand how angry and frustrated HE was.... though the target of that A&F is not stated.
These guys are very human after all, and we know how badly Phil wants that final leg of the career slam. I think we all know what we saw on the 13th green, a man under tremendous pressure that lost it for a moment.... Instead he doubled down with his silly putt on the next green, yucked it up for the remainder of the day with playing partner Beef Johnston and then tried to convince us that it was just his way of grinding.
But you know who does deserve an apology? Yeah, Jordan Spieth. Phil was, to use a term from back in the 1970's, employing the Modified Limited Hangout strategy, not recognized by Jordan who was born in the 1990's. I'm guessing Jordan won't be defending Phil any longer...
A couple of new sources weighing in, first His Montyness:
Let's start with last weekend's U.S. Open. What was your reaction to the Mickelson situation?
Controversy sells, doesn't it? Unfortunately it's a controversial incident. I'm sure the two bodies involved – Mickelson and the USGA – wish it wouldn't have happened. Ithappened initially because the USGA got it very wrong, with where they put the pin positions on 13 and 15 on Saturday. He came to 13 and he had a problem. Knowing Phil the way I do and calling Phil a friend, he would love that minute of his life back again. It'll take a while to get it back. It's brought on a whole different area – the legality of it, the rules. 1-2 says you can't hit a moving ball, and I think it was [14-5] that says you can't deflect it. Well, if you hit a ball, you've deflected it.
Did they apply the right rule? Or should Phil have been DQ'd?
It's very gray. They managed to get around it enough to say it wasn't a DQ. It was right on the edge. Possibly because it was Phil Mickelson, it wasn't a DQ, if you know what I mean. Difficult situation. Curtis Strange asked him very tough questions when he finished and Phil was right there with him. Phil was trying to justify it, wasn't he? He was trying to justify that – "Well, look, I know the rules, I can take a two-shot penalty and I'll be better off." You think, "Hang on. No, no, no. Don't say that." Just say, "I lost my head. I lost my head completely because it was crazy out there. I'm sorry." And move on. And I don't think we'd be talking about it today if that was case.
He makes quite the mess of his rules citations, but that last bit is pretty damning....
But a special Unplayable Lies shout out to Alan Shipnuck, who nails Phil to his cross with this from his weekly mailbag feature:
In terms of impact on his legacy, how does Phil's rules kerfuffle compare to Vijay's scorecard mess, which people still talk about 30 years later? If a lesser impact, how much of that is because Phil is more charming personally? #askalan -Sam (@swilliam8)
Vijay committed golf's original sin, altering his scorecard. And his refusal to ever discuss it certainly kept that incident – for which he was suspended by the Asian tour - shrouded in mystery and innuendo. What Phil did was iffy on various levels but it wasn't outright cheating and so he'll avoid that scarlet letter. Reader @EthanZimman wondered if this whole kerfuffle will fall under the broad umbrella of "Phil being Phil" and I think that's absolutely true. We know the guy can be too clever by half and this time he clearly outsmarted himself. But next time he tees it up he'll hold a rollicking press conference and offer a lively account of the whole thing and most people will move on. The "personal charm" factor is interesting. I've always said a huge reason why Phil has gotten such good press is the people around him: Bones, Amy, Rick Smith, Butch Harmon, Dave Pelz, even his parents and in-laws. They're all good/great talkers and storytellers and they've done so much to burnish the legend of a guy who is otherwise pretty inaccessible. Sure enough, on Sunday at Shinnecock, Amy was giving interviews and humanizing what she called a bad day at the office. Compare this to Vijay…or Tiger. They had no one – or didn't allow them - to stick up for them and soften their sharp edges, and both suffered greatly for it.
I remain shocked at how Phil left his bride out there alone... I'm just guessing that he must have been very angry and frustrated, and Lord knows that justifies anything....
I think Alan understates what a good talker and storyteller Phil himself is, though I agree it's at the superficial level. But writers eat it up... heck, we all eat it up at times because it can be very interesting....
As for the "Phil Being Phil" bit, I'm of mixed minds on that. On the one hand, stories fade into the background and water finds its own level. But I've been surprised at how many writers have seen the connective tissue with the Gleneagles presser and other highlights of his career, and I think his apology indicates that he wasn't drawing raves on his cellphone.
One last point and then perhaps we can move on... Alan was the guy who tweeter about Phil's jihad against the USGA, and we all get that Phil was justifiably frustrated by the set-up. But compare and contrast the reactions of Phil with those of Mike Davis. The latter goes into the Fox booth and expresses remorse while trying to explain what went wrong.... Phil tries to tell us how smart he is, then is unavailable to the media from Sunday, but sens his wife out to try to make it right.
I get the sense that folks are seeing through Phil.... Next year at Pebble should be veddy interesting...
More Love for the USGA - I know, the epitome of a dog-bites man story.... Lots of Tour pros taking shots at Mike Davis and crew in this Brian Wacker feature, which is well worth your time. That said, Brian leads with what to me is a completely underwhelming whine from James Hahn, a man who has qualified for exactly one U.S. Open in his storied career and whose complaint seems to be that one USGA official couldn't give him a stimpmeter reading.... Cry me a river, James.
But Brian does go to players from whom we do want to hear, and they give us an earful. I'm gonna lede with the funniest quote:
“It’s a private fraternity and you abide by their rules,” one multiple major winner said. “[USGA CEO] Mike Davis is Dean Wormer, except the ending is not as good as Animal House.”
We like funny, so who could this multiple major winner be? Zach? If I were on Twitter for real, I'd send that question to Shipnuck.... There just aren't that many who have more than one, and I'm assuming that it wasn't Phil.... And Tiger is way more Call of Duty than Animal House.
“Did anyone ever trust them?” reasoned 2006 U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy. “I think for the most part their intentions are sound, there’s some pretty good golf minds there, but they just can’t get out of their own way. You never have a U.S. Open where they’re not the story. Augusta is never the story of the Masters—this year Patrick Reed was the story of the Masters. It has nothing to do with Augusta. It’s never the R&A, never the PGA Tour, never the PGA of America.”
And in the eyes of many, there is almost never NOT some sort of problem at one point during a U.S. Open. Players cited this year at Shinnecock, last year’s football field-wide fairways at Erin Hills, the bungling of the Dustin Johnson ruling at Oakmont in 2016 as well as hole locations on Nos. 10 and 14, the condition of the greens at Chambers Bay in 2015, the re-working of Merion in 2013 and, of course, the last time they went to Shinnecock, in 2004, a course many consider one of the best in the country.
“To some degree I am surprised it keeps happening,” said Zach Johnson, whose first U.S. Open was at Shinnecock in 2004. “If [our input] was important, it wouldn’t have happened, so it must not be. I’m all for having Nick Price on the board, he’s one of the model pros. But if controversy is something they want or feed off, they’re doing a great job. Shinnecock is probably my favorite course in the United States. I can’t find any negatives about it. I think the people who make up the USGA are good people, but good people have to be held accountable. There has to be a level of integrity, just like with us, and I don’t feel like there is.”
My mancrush on Geoff Ogilvy remains as pure as the driven snow, but I think he's only partially correct here. They've had a bad run for sure, and there's a schadenfreudalicious aspect to it, but Tour players have always hated the U.S. Open. And the thing is, they should.... Of course they want the Tour guys to do the set-up, becaus ethey hate anything that takes them out of their happy spot.
To support that premise, here's a similar incident from the 1999 Open at Pinehurst (and if I were feeling uncharitable, I would note it was from a similar player):
How is it that it's already Thursday, and we don't have a Lego reenactment of Phil jogging after his ball?
Back to Shipnuck:
Why are there so many WHINERS on Tour and so many fans who want to see them mindlessly birdie every hole, every week? Can't we have just ONE tournament every other year in which over par wins??? It's so fun to watch. -@AndresSotoMarin
I totally agree. It's a shame Shinny got too close to the edge on Saturday afternoon, because it was absolutely perfect the first two days: very tough but ultimately fair. Then on Sunday, after all those whiners made so much noise, the USGA chickened out and took most of the fear out of the golf course, and an essential element of the U.S. Open was lost. Reader @FisherM24 asked what the ideal score is for the U.S. Open. I think anywhere from five under to five over is fine. Shinnecock fell in that range, at one over, but the whiplash from Friday to Saturday to Sunday felt messy and a little weird. A golf course is a living, breathing thing, and it's hard to get it exactly right over four long days of ever-changing conditions. But ultimately I'd rather have the USGA push the players too much rather than too little.
We know the USGA overreacts, just ask anyone who survived Winged Foot in '74.... But the problem to me is that, having let equipment evolve to its current state, how do they provide a stern but fair test. It's a razor's edge thing these days, almost impossible to get right for four consecutive days.
Back to Wacker:
Spieth also said that he thinks the organization is trying to do its best.
What that is, though, seems be unclear when it comes to the tournament’s identity. For years the U.S. Open was about narrow fairways, hack-it-rough and tough greens. Now, some seem to think it has been left searching in part because of its “obsession” with par and because modern players have become so good that the only place the USGA thinks it can toughen the course is on and around the greens. In the eyes of many players, that’s where many of the problems stem from.
I think the shear tedium of those old-time set-ups is being glossed over....
Shall we spend some time on more pleasant topics?
Way Coul! - Shack with the welcome news:
Coul Links Plans Passed, Coore And Crenshaw Design Near Dornoch To Proceed
By way of background, this is the new links to be built by Bandon-founder Mike Keiser, just down the road from Dornoch. It looks something like this:
It's land that was made by our Creator specifically for golf....
Wither DJ - Back to Shipnuck:
DJ is really not racking up the Ws in majors... Rank the cough-ups from bad to worst: '10 U.S. Open, '10 PGA, '11 British, '15 U.S. Open, '18 U.S. Open (for bonus points: '17 Masters...) -Oskar (@tallboy199)
'15 U.S. Open. He played beautifully at Chambers Bay, hit two absolutely epic shots onthe 72nd hole and, let's face it, those greens were dicey.
'17 Masters. Oh, what might have been. You only get that kind of momentum a couple of times in your career, if you're lucky. Led to a lost year in the majors.
'11 British. Really came down to one bad swing. Of course, hooking a ball out of bounds in the middle of the back nine is epically bad.'10 PGA. Forgotten in the commotion about the bunker/non-bunker penalty at Whistling Straits is that Johnson came to the 72nd hole with a one-shot lead and whipsawed his driver miles right, came up short on the second shot and then missed on the low-side on a do-or-die 11-footer.
'10. U.S. Open. That final round 82 was utterly brutal. In fairness, it was his first time in that situation.
'18 U.S. Open. This will really test Johnson's famous resiliency, because it was a historic collapse; according to stats wiz Justin Ray, Johnson was the fifth player in the last 100 years to lead the U.S. Open by four or more strokes after 36 holes and the previous four each won — and by a combined total of 40 shots.
Johnson certainly got Shinnecock'd, having to play in the absolute worst conditions on Saturday afternoon. But even after his nightmare front nine he bounced back to take a two-stroke lead midway through the back nine, and he let that slip, too. That downhill, downwind putt he had on 18 was impossible to stop and led to a brutal three-putt but Koepka, in his champion's press conference, made the point that in conditions like that you know you simply can't go above the hole. It was little mistakes like that which killed Johnson over the final two rounds. He now has 16 top 10s in the majors but only one win to show for it – that's approaching a Furykian level of non-conversion. Johnson turns 34 this week. He's still in his prime but if he's going to turn into the player he was always supposed to be, it's time to start closing the deal at the majors.
The ranking is amusing premise, though I'd add the '15 British to the list, especially poignant coming right after Chambers Bay.
Before that final round at Pebble in '10, the conventional wisdom was that DJ was too stupid to feel pressure.... OK, now that we've established that he feels pressure, it's not mutually exclusive to acknowledge that he's still as dumb as a mollusk..... It's damn hard to finish these off and he got Shinnicocked twice (the first was being on the bad side of the Thursday-Friday draw), but a different guy showed up on Saturday, just like at St. Andrews in '15, and I'm wondering why.
Peter Thomson, Remembered - Wonderful remembrances of the Aussie, first from John Strege:
Peter Thomson was a complex man—an accomplished player, course architect, writer and elder statesman—who preferred a simple approach to playing golf. Not so simple ashit it, find it and hit it again, but close.
“There are some people who can’t spend time on a practice fairway without being videoed,” Thomson once told the Australian newspaper The Age, “but when they get to the application stage, they can’t get out of their head how they look. Your attention can only focus on one thing, not several things. And that is actually ball hitting bat. Never mind how you do it.
“Making golf a science and insisting that people study it, they get the feeling ‘this is difficult.’ Whereas really, they should consider it easy because it is. It’s just whacking a ball, for goodness sakes.”
I'm thinking that last line might have been intended for me.
Golf Digest editor Jerry Tarde has one as well:
He joined the Golf Digest staff as a contributing editor in 1986. At the time, I wrote in the editor’s letter: “Thomson is best known to America as a player, but internationally he is recognized as an architect, writer, administrator and statesman. He once ran for Parliament in his native Australia and was narrowly defeated. He is credited with founding the Far Eastern tournament circuit, ranging from India to Japan. He is unique in the sport, a reader of hardcover books, kind of an outdoor intellectual.” After winning a tour event, it would be common to see him accept the trophy, then go into the press tent and roll a piece of paper into a typewriter carriage, and proceed to rap out a report on the final round as the golf correspondent to far-flung newspapers.American golfers got a dose of his playing talent when he returned to competitive golf with the Senior PGA Tour and promptly won 11 tournaments. I remember him doing a clinic for our editorial staff once when someone asked the unfortunate question, “How far do you hit your 7-iron?” Peter silently replied by dropping three balls next to each other on the practice ground: one in a good lie, the second he stepped on, and a third on a tuft of rough. Making identical swings, he hit the 7-iron what looked to be 140, 150 and 160 yards. “Next question,” he said.
And R&A Majordomo Martin Slumbers:
Thomson, who had been ill for some time, goes down in history as a true golf legend. He won five Open Championships between 1954 and 1965, including three consecutive titles from 1954.
“Peter was a true gentleman and will be forever remembered throughout the world of golf as one of the great champions of our wonderful sport,” said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers. “He was a distinguished Honorary Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and will be sorely missed by all of us at the R&A.
I wonder if Jordan or Justin even know the name. Thomson did play a bit in the U.S., and posted a number of Masters and U.S. Open top tens. But he was a titan of Australian golf, and a very significant figure in our game.
Today in Hypocrisy - Here's your famous quote of the day:
"hypocrisy is a tribute vice pays to virtue." - François de La Rochefoucauld, (1665–1678)
That Wabac machine sure can be useful... Here's the reason for exhuming that quote:
PGA of America president Paul Levy was arrested last week and charged for driving under the influence of alcohol, the Riverside County (Calif.) Sheriff’s office confirmed Wednesday.
Levy was driving eastbound in the 74-000 block of Highway 111 in Palm Desert, Calif. when his vehicle veered off the road and collided into a posted sign, according to a Sheriff’s office release.
The next guy to look good in his mug shot will be the first... But I'm assuming his employer will be all over this:
The PGA of America issued the following statement to Golfweek:
“Paul Levy has accepted responsibility for his terrible lapse in judgment last Thursday. He has expressed deep regret and fully understands how irresponsible his actions were. The PGA of America will support Paul as he seeks counseling, faces the consequences of his actions and works through the legal process in the months ahead.”
Hmmmm... that's perhaps a little weaker than we might have expected, especially in light of this:
Contrast that scenario to October 2014 when PGA president Ted Bishop was ousted one month before his two-year term was to end for an insensitive tweet and Facebook post. Bishop was about to have dinner with Nick Faldo when he decided to defend Faldo, a six-time major champion and Ryder Cup force, from the criticism that Ian Poulter leveled after the publication of his autobiography, “No Limits.”Bishop tweeted to Poulter: “Faldo’s record stands by itself. Six majors and all-time RC points. Yours vs. His? Lil Girl.” He also criticized Poulter on Facebook, writing, “Sounds like a little school girl squealing during recess. C’MON MAN!”
You're an astute readership and you see the issue.... Calling Poults a little girl is a hanging offense, but driving tanked?
i was OK with them firing Ted, but they did it for the wrong reason. The charge of sexism was just plain silly, but if they simply made the point that it's unseemly for the President of their iconic organization to involve himself in a twitter spat between two Limeys, I agree. But you wanted to seem pure to the SJW's, so now deal with the consequences.
Alan Leftovers - Other good stuff from the mailbag:
Brooks Koepka will finish his career with more majors than Rory. Thoughts? -@golfismentalPass the Dutch. Even if Rory never wins another one, Koepka would have to win three more. That's the entire career of Billy Casper, Vijay Singh, Jimmy Demaret, Padraig Harrington, Nick Price, Payne Stewart, Hale Irwin and sundry other Hall of Famers. And as woebegone as Rory looks these days, he's only 29 and you have to assume he'll have at least one more hot stretch where he picks off another major. That would give him five, which is getting into very rarified air. Koepka's performance was spectacular, and he has no weaknesses tee-to-green, so he will always be a threat at both Opens and the PGA Championship. Still, you have to take Rory on this one, simply because of his huge head start. A more salient question is how has Koepka won only three times on the PGA Tour in his entire career?!
Pass the Dutch? That's a new one to your humble correspondent, shall we consult the authority?
Pass the Dutch
A "dutch" in this context, is a spliff, or hand rolled marijuana cigarette. The phase is used when requesting that a comrade lend you his for a sample toke.(Thanks, Missy Elliot!)
Next question: Who the hell is Missy Elliott?
We see this all the time... When they're winning, they look unbeatable.... Brooksie has won all of three tourneys, and yet the questioner thinks nothing of conceding him three additional majors. He's a talent for sure, Alan is spot on.
Will we ever see the Hale Irwins, Scott Simpsons, Lee Janzens, Corey Pavins of the world win a U.S. Open? I kind of miss seeing the bunters do well. -@Chrislemw
Well, the top 14 at Shinnecock included Zach Johnson, Russell Knox and Webb Simpson, all of whom count as bunters. Patrick Reed, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton are only average-length hitters, while Xander Schauffele is above-average but not a bomber. So half of the top 14 are hardly monsters in the Koepka/DJ/Finau mold. Pebble Beach next year will play so short the longest hitters will have driver taken out of their hands, so anyone can win there. But, yes, with the USGA having embraced width and more benign setups, it's certainly harder for the Tom Kites of the world to break through. Driving it long and straight is an advantage on any course in any conditions. Now that bruisers like Koepka and Johnson have embraced Trackman to dial in their wedges it's certainly a tough package to overcome if you're giving up 30 or 40 yards off the tee.
I went the other route yesterday, listing the Lucas Glover and Graeme McDowells of the world that had won an open.
What is Tony Finau's ceiling? Can you see him having a Justin Rosesque 30s? -Adam (@StoweSpeak)
I'm not sure even Finau knows what his ceiling is. He's clearly an immense talent. I was talking to his swing coach Boyd Summerhays on Sunday afternoon at the driving range and he was saying that until the last year or so Finau played almost exclusively a fade but he is now comfortable drawing the ball, too, and that has added to his arsenal. It was deeply impressive how on Sunday, playing on the biggest stage of his life, he fought back from three early bogeys to make a bunch of birdies and keep himself in the fight. At the same time, he is still trying to master the elusive art of winning, because even as he rolls up top 10s he still has only one career victory. It is going to be fascinating to see where he goes from here.
I agree on all account, very much a guy that's hard to peg.... It'll be fun to watch, as long as he doesn't make any more aces at the Masters Par-3.
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