Late Week Laments

Finally, the weather cooperates.  At this point I figure we need about three weeks withour t rain, and we'll be in a position to resod the entire golf course....

Northern (Trust) Exposures - Like your humble blogger, this guy found the timing of a certain story a bit curious:

Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson overshadows slow start in Round 1 of Northern Trust

PARAMUS, N.J. – Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are going to play in Las Vegas for

an absurd amount of money on Thanksgiving weekend. Woods’ team confirmed it via Twitter Wednesday ahead of the Northern Trust at Ridgewood Country Club. 

That news was more exciting than Woods’ uneventful even-par 71 Thursday to start the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and he was asked about it after the round. 

“We’re going to have fun doing something that’s never been done before,” Woods said. “Trying to showcase golf and showcase golf in a different way.”

Showcasing golf?  Why didn't I think of that?

It seems that the Tour was aggressive in protecting their rights as relates to the purse size, but allowed the announcement to detract from the playoff opener.  Excuse me, "playoff" opener....Weer I among the 123 other guys in the field, I might be a tad miffed.

Woods is playing with a new driver shaft this week and used it nine times off the tee, along with four 3-woods and just one iron at the short, par-4 12th. The course was soft enough that lift, clean and replace was put into effect, and the lack of runout likely led to Woods using a healthy number of drivers. He hit the fairway on 4 of 9 attempts with that club. 

His chili was running hot late in the round, after missing wide right with driver at the par-4 fifth. That led to his second and final bogey of the day, which he finished with three straight pars including a 12-foot birdie miss at the last. 

The slow start wasn’t abnormal for Woods this season – over 15 starts he’s only broken 70 twice in the opening round. He’s done it nine times in Round 3.

 From the Tour's perspective, this header isn't much better:

Sean O’Hair headlines four-way tie for lead at Northern Trust; Tiger is five shots back

And they might just have found the only three players to share the lead with lower Q-Factors than O'Hair...  Tiger's 71 might be a mere five shots off the lead but it's only good for T60, leaving him a huge swath of humanity to pass today to stick around for the weekend.

I did watch some of the taped coverage last night, as it's always great to see the boys on a first-class venue.  Of course, conditions were far from ideal.  The most interesting lens through which to view the next couple of weeks is, of course, Ryder Cup related, and I'll credit this guy with the right attitude:

PARAMUS, N.J. – Phil Mickelson made it hard on himself Thursday in Round 1 of the Northern Trust. 

He sprayed the driver all over Ridgewood Country Club and hit just 3 of 14 fairways. True to form, he still managed a solid round with a 3-under 68. 

As for the other thing in play – a captain’s pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team – Mickelson said he won’t make it so hard on captain Jim Furyk. 

“I really like this golf course. I had a great week last week where I’m playing well, and I love TPC Boston,” Mickelson said. “So I’m going to play really well these next two weeks and I’m going to make it an easy decision.” 

Mickelson finished 10th on the points list and failed to secure an automatic qualifying spot entering next month’s matches at Le Golf National in Paris, the first time that’s ever happened dating back to his debut in 1995.

Unless, of course, he knows the fix is in and he's just playing us.... Of course, that 3-14 thing is a really bad fit for Le Golf National, which only matters if Captain Furyk is able to express free will.

In other Ryder Cup news, this might just stop the Sneds boomlet in its tracks:

Brandt Snedeker is dealing with injury less than a week after winning. 

Just days after capturing his ninth PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship, Snedeker has withdrawn from The Northern Trust due to back spasms. 

Snedeker, a potential U.S. Ryder Cup captain’s pick after his dominant wire-to-wire win that saw him open in 59, looks to be back in action next week at TPC Boston.

 I didn't love his chances in any event, but this is obviously horrible timing.

In other RC implications, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Paul Casey each broke from the post quickly with 67's, both of whom I think figure to make Captain Bjorn's team one way or the other.  On the U.S. side, Bryson DeChambeau (-3) and Tony Finau (-2) didn't hurt their chances, though the latter's seem pretty remote to me unless he pulls off something pretty special.

We'll Always Have Vegas - I refuse to call it The Match, because our game already had one of those.... But I missed the faux pas, how about you guys?

Curb your enthusiasm, Tron, as a natural right-hander Phil would have a decided advantage....  In any event, quite the amateurish and amusing F-up.

Tiger thinks the PPV won't be much of a deal:

PARAMUS, N.J. — News that "The Match" between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson

would be shown on Pay-per-view put a bit of a damper on the initial hysteria surrounding the Thanksgiving weekend clash in Vegas between these two legends. Woods, however, doesn't think asking golf fans to pay what is still an undisclosed amount to watch is a big deal. Rather, he sounds fairly confident it'll be worth every penny. 

"I think they can afford it and I think it will be done differently," Woods said when asked after his opening 71 at the Northern Trust if he was worried about "the average fan" missing out. 

"You know, how many times have we all purchased fights," Woods continued, "whether it's MMA or it's boxing, whatever it may be. We all purchase those fights."

Porn, maybe, but certainly not MMA....   

As for the trash talk, Tiger goes for the kill shot:

"I think I'm minus 180 right now," Woods chirped, referring to his current Vegas odds, which make him a solid favorite. "That's all I've got to say." 

At least, for now.

Travelin' Joe fills us in on the venue:

What: The reported host course for the Tiger vs. Phil challenge match, Shadow Creek, is nearly equal in hype and aura to the players themselves. The “It” course of the 1990s was hotelier’s Steve Wynn’s vision and architect Tom Fazio’s execution. When Shadow Creek debuted in 1990, there was no course anywhere, private or public, where an invitation was so coveted. Until 2000, the only way aboard was via an invitation from Steve Wynn himself. In March of 2000, Wynn was divested of his Mirage holdings and he was forced to hand over Shadow Creek to the new owners, MGM Resorts International. The mystique changed forever, but not the course itself. A Fazio renovation in 2008 stretched the par-72 layout to 7,560 yards, but none of the holes were materially altered. Tiger Woods and Fred Couples share the old course record of 60, while the newer version has witnessed 66 as the best score, once by Dustin Johnson.

I guess we know why Tiger signed off on it...

What it Looks Like: Hewn from a poker table-flat, lifeless plot of desert, Fazio and Wynn conjured up a Hollywood set come to life, complete with rolling terrain, thousands of pines, bursts of flowers and a network of creeks and lakes. The foliage and features

block out any glimpse of the surrounding desert, except for the mountain peaks.

Signature holes: There’s not a weak link in the entire chain, but five holes stand out for scenery and challenge, including the 553-yard, par-5 fourth, the 409-yard, par-4 ninth and the 438-yard, par-4 15th. Still, the showstoppers, as they should be in Las Vegas, arrive at the end, with the 164-yard, par-3 17th and the 564-yard, par-5 18th. In particular, the 18th befits its locale as the ultimate gambler’s hole. From an elevated tee, the ambitious player will contend with a water carry on both shots via a network of three lakes separated by waterfalls. Choose the three-shot route and you still must fly over water to a long, narrow green surrounded by grassy hills, pine trees, mountains and flowers. Desert? What desert?

That's what passes for strategy in Fazioworld, but for us to see it the match has to make it to No. 18....  Unless, you know, a press?

We'll exit on this from Phil:

Viewers will be able to check out the match via Turner Sports in a pay-per-view setting, in which the players and caddies will be mic’d up to add commentary and context. “It allows us to be a little bit more real, if you will,” Mickelson said Wednesday. “We think there will be some pretty good interest, but we’re also trying to present it in a way that you don’t get to see with normal TV.”

So, let's see, we have a contrived match to be played on an oasis carved out of the desert at outrageous expense?  As the kids like to say, we're keepin' it real....

Today in First-World Problems - I feel the pain of Golf Digest's Undercover Tour Pro, who shares this tale of woe:

Every three months I get a shipment of 50 shirts, plus a few dozen pairs of pants. My

clothing supplier wants me to wear the new season and encourages getting rid of the old to avoid confusion. I've purged entire boxes when one sponsor changes a logo. I give clothes to friends as much as I can and save certain items I especially like to wear just around the house. Still, I'm always bringing garbage bags to donation boxes. At the moment, I probably have 300 golf shirts in my closet. I've kept every shirt that I wore on a Sunday when I won (never to wear again, but because I think it's a nice tradition). And like any golfer, I'm occasionally compelled to visit the golf shop when I play a bucket-list course. But other than that, I'm really not sentimental. Shirts just pile up.

Pants are more personal, and I can have a hard time parting with a pair that works. Hats? Don't get me started. You'll find several unopened boxes in my garage. Socks, belts, embroidered towels and random accessories—I tell anyone who visits to take whatever they like. Take as many balls as you want, too, though I've seen only one person grab more than two dozen. I even tell people to take clubs. There's just one staff bag that is off-limits.

Oh the inhumanity of it all....  But, hey, what was that address again?

What's In A Name -  An amusing story for sure:

Like many high-level internship programs, the PGA Tour’s is not an easy one to get into. With just 25 spots available and anywhere from 800 and 1,100 applications in a year to sift through, the tour is looking for the best and brightest, specifically rising college

sophomores who have to go through a rigorous process just to earn consideration. Standing out would appear to be an intimidating task. 

But what if your name is Island Green? With the tour’s headquarters being located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., site of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, which features the famed island green at the 17th hole, it could only help, no? 

If you can first believe that there is an intern at the PGA Tour this summer named Island Green, then you’ll also believe that his name had no bearing on whether or not he was chosen as one of the tour’s 25 summer interns.

The Tour goes to quite a bit of effort to convince us that the hiring decision wasn't affected by his unique name, though I'd question which way that cuts.  I don't have a problem with them showing a sense of humor, especially as the realization dawns on why they did hire him:

This summer’s interns, which Clarke says is 62 percent diverse and half male, half female, features collegiate golfers, golf fans, individuals who have never touched a club, kids from state schools, small private schools, rural areas and those that grew up in a city. It’s the type of class the tour was searching for when they analyzed others and found that the minority community was largely unaware of the opportunities in the golf industry beyond the competitive side shown on television.

The mask slips.... Ironically, they've done this young man no service, publicly documenting him as an affirmative action hire, all to satisfy their need to signal their virtue.

It's Gonna Be YUUUGE - Absolutely no surprise here:

Tickets to watch the 148th Open live at Royal Portrush are sold out. 

It will mark the first time the event has been held in Northern Ireland since 1951. It is also the first ever ticket-only Open Championship. Dates of play will be July 18-21, 2019.

“It is clear from the record-breaking ticket sales that golf fans are looking forward to the long-awaited return of The Open to Northern Ireland. We knew there would be great demand but it has been even higher than we expected and we expect fans will take advantage of the remaining practice day tickets now that we have sold out on Championship days,” Johnnie Cole-Hamilton of the R&A told Golf Monthly.

I'm not quite clear on the ticket-only concept, but this is a spectacular venue....  I only hope it's not a one-off.

Respect, Finally -  Friend of the blog Mark W. helpfully provides the following updated rules from the USGA:

USGA NEWLY ENACTED RULES FOR SENIORS

Rule 1.a.5

A ball sliced or hooked into the rough shall be lifted and placed on the Fairway at a point equal to the distance it carried or rolled into the rough with no penalty. The senior player should not be penalized for tall grass which ground keepers failed to mow.

Rule 2.d.6 (B)

A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed NOT to have hit the tree. This is simply bad luck and luck has no place in a scientific game. The senior player must estimate the distance the ball would have traveled if it had not hit the tree and play the ball from there.

Rule 3.B.3(G)

There shall be no such thing as a lost ball. The missing ball is on or near the course and will eventually be found and pocketed by someone else, thereby making it a stolen ball. The senior player is not to compound the felony by charging himself with a penalty.

Rule 4.c.7(h)

If a putt passes over a hole without dropping, it is deemed to have dropped. The Law of Gravity supersedes the Rules of Golf.

Rule 5.

Putts that stop close enough to the cup that they could be blown in, may be blown in. This does not apply to balls more than three inches from the Hole. No one wants to make a mockery of the game.

Rule 6.a.9(k)

There is no penalty for so-called "out of bounds." If penny-pinching golf course owners bought sufficient land, this would not occur. The senior player deserves an apology, not a penalty.

Rule 7.G.15(z)

There is no penalty for a ball in a water hazard, as golf balls should float. Senior players should not be penalized for any shortcomings of the manufacturers.

Rule 8.k.9( S)

Advertisements claim that golf scores can be improved by purchasing new golf equipment. Since this is financially impractical for many senior players, one-half stroke per hole may be subtracted for using old equipment.

Please advise all your senior friends of these important rule changes and keep multiple copies in your golf bag. Those not following the rules need to be provided a copy. Golf is a game of integrity.

 Alas, Mark and I are both at the point where something like this is sorely needed.  

Have a great weekend.