Just a few scraps for y'all to start 2019 in style.... A reminder that tomorrow is a travel day, but that only ensures that I'll be up at 3:30 a.m. on Friday with little to do except blog...
The Year Ahead - Who'll be the breakout star of 2019? Everyone wants in on that....Sunday's Tour Confidential gabfest was asked this:
Four players — Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas — held the title of World No. 1 in 2018. Which player, among these four or others, will occupy the top spot for the most weeks in 2019?
Sean Zak: Koepka and Rose will have a nice head start, but I’m expecting another big year from Dustin Johnson. No shocker in that, but he’ll carve out another 3-4 wins by default. He’s that good.
Alan Shipnuck: The problem with this analysis is that Dustin wins regular Tour events but not major championships, where so many more points are available. Rose is way overdue to win another major — hard to believe he’ll be 39 this season and has snagged only one. I think this is his year to cash in another and spend more time at No. 1.
Michael Bamberger: Koepka. I don’t know much, but I know to listen to Tom Watson, and he says the man is the real deal.
I don't know, Mike, a guy that doesn't see the importance of pods might not be the perfect source to opine on the modern game...
Jessica Marksbury: Totally agree, Michael. The man has three major wins in the span of a single year, and the chip on his shouldershows no signs of shrinking. I’m expecting some serious fire from him throughout 2019.
Josh Sens: I’m with Alan on this. Rose is Rose is Rose — so consistently great, and showing no signs of slowing.
Dylan Dethier: I’m in on team Rosie. But more than anything I’m excited for this palace intrigue to continue. Throw Bryson in the mix plus someone else who gets hot (Rory? Rahm? Tiger?!) and we’ll have plenty of “who’s the best player in the world” conversations to toss around.
Hmmmm, I'd have to say that the absence of love for JT is the biggest surprise.... But if I were a betting man, I'd put my chips on no one dominating. Another rugby scrum at Numero Uno.
Their follow-up question might be the more interesting:
Who’s most likely to win a major in ‘19: Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth or Rory McIlroy?
What does "none of the above" pay?
Zak: McIlroy. He’s inching closer to that green jacket. Bethpage should play to his strengths. Spieth (perpetually) is a very close second here.
Bamberger: Rory. Open in the old country.
Considering that Mike wrote this book, I'm more than a little surprised that he hasn't notice how poorly Rory handles the wind. Plus, if hosting the Irish Open taxed his powers of concentration, I'd think that Portrush will be a difficult week for him.
Shipnuck: Oof, this is tough. Each faces big question: Tiger’s driver, Jordan’s putter, Rory’s head. Of the three, Tiger is the most ascendant, so I’ll go with him.
Sens: Given that he was fresh off back surgery and in the midst of yet another swing change and he still contended seriously in two majors, it’s gotta be Tiger.
Marksbury: I’ll cast a third vote for the Big Cat. The 2018 Comeback Tour was too much fun. And look at the Tiger-friendly venues we have to look forward to! No. 15 has got to happen this year.
Dethier: This feels weird because I’m usually higher on Rory and Tiger’s chances than my colleagues, but I think it may be Spieth — he feels like a guaranteed contender at Augusta and Portrush.
Lastly, they go rogue with off-the-wall projections:
Okay, enough softballs. Now give us a *truly* bold golf prediction for the coming year.
Marksbury: The idea that Tiger will win a major after an 11-year drought isn’t bold enough?! Okay, how about another Tiger prediction: He’ll win both a major and a regular Tour event in 2019.
Bamberger: Rory wins twice: Masters and British Open.
OK, Mike seems not to have dried out after the eggnog... I've got Rory penciled in for a signature back door top ten at Augusta....
Sens: The Internationals romp to victory in the Presidents Cup.
I don't know about romping, but I agree they're overdue.
Shipnuck: Sens, this isn’t supposed to be science fiction! I predict that none of our predictions will come true. Wait, that isn’t very bold…
Zak: Phil Mickelson resigns himself (happily) to an assistant captain role at the Presidents Cup.
Dethier: I’ll stick to the madness I proposed on our upcoming bold predictions podcast: Captain Tiger Woods will have two intriguing picks: Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed! Chew on that one for a little bit…
There's a horses-for-courses argument for Jordan at Augusta, not that I'm in that camp. But for those that buy it, I'll just suggest you think through who will be helping him into that green jacket.... Delightfully awkward, no?
Golfweek has a contribution in this vein as well, picking eleven players to break through in 2019.... However, they lead with Tony Finau and it doesn't get much edgier than that. Cam Champ? Sam Burns?
As for Golf Digest, they're all over that exciting race for No. 1:
That's what Living Under Par™ is all about....
The GD gang also came up with ten predictions for the New Year, a few of which are quite amusing:
Weather problems will hit Bethpage
We went to Bethpage Black this past May to see how the course 1) survived a rough winter and 2) how the current weather could effect the 2019 Wanamaker. To our surprise, the mecca of New York public golf was shining brightly as ever. So why the worry? Call it PTSD from the '09 U.S. Open at Black (we're still drying off) or that five of the last seven Mays in Long Island have been wet affairs. Here's hoping for sunshine, but to those planning on attending the '19 PGA Championship, bring an umbrella.
Going to Bethpage is quite the gamble, but it's nothing compared to going to Rochester in May.
Their last makes up for the absence of love above:
Justin Thomas will take the reins as No. 1Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose have been playing hot potato with the No. 1 ranking, but our forecast is Thomas—winner of eight events in the last two seasons—leaves that duoin the dust. The majority of tour venues cater to Thomas' blitzkrieg strategy (first in eagles, fourth in birdie average), and his lone weakness, driving accuracy, won't be penalized at this year's U.S. Open (Pebble) and PGA (Bethpage) sites. Throw in his steadily-improving showings at Augusta and his propensity to start the year strong (six of his nine career wins have come before the Masters in their given season), it's hard not to see Thomas retaking the No. 1 crown by spring.
Not sure whether they're also predicting an encore of the cardigan look....
New Year, New Gear - I don't obsess over equipment contracts, but we do seem to be in a strange period there.... Though he's taken a pass on Maui, this previously reported deal is now official:
Honma Golf didn’t waste any time making their presence known to start the new year.The Japanese-based equipment manufacturer officially announced the signing of Justin Rose to a multi-year equipment deal that, according to a press release, will see the second-ranked player in the world “lead Honma’s worldwide tour presence. The Board sees this as an important milestone in Honma’s efforts in global professional golf.” Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
It’s unclear what Rose’s final equipment setup will look like when he begins his season in a few weeks at the Desert Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., but he’ll have at least 10 Honma clubs in the bag, per his agreement.
It will likely consist of the company’s T//World TW747 driver, T//World TW747 V prototype irons (4-6), T//World 747 “Justin Rose” forged muscleback (7-9) and T//World TW Forged wedges (47, 56 and 60 degrees). The new deal also requires Rose, who will play a part in future product development, to carry a Honma bag and have the brand’s logo on both sides of his hat.
We've seen TaylorMade dropping many of their long-time endorsers, seemingly going all-in on Tiger and Rory. But Honma has always been a niche, high-end player in the equipment business, but not a presence on tour. That may be changing:
Justin Rose was officially unveiled as the centerpiece of Honma Golf’s Tour staff on Tuesday, but there’s a good chance he won’t be the company’s only signing. Rumors have been circulating for the last month that Honma could ink anywhere from two tothree players in an effort to bolster their presence on the PGA Tour this season.
One of those players could be Paul Casey, who was photographed with a Honma TW-U Forged utility iron in his hands at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Nike’s hard-goods exit more than two years ago saw Casey sign a metalwoods-only deal with TaylorMade in 2017, but he’s remained a free agent with the rest of his setup.
Until this week, Casey’s setup consisted of TaylorMade woods, Mizuno irons, Titleist Vokey Design wedges and a Scotty Cameron.
Casey has been trolling Tommy Fleetwood over an old set of Nike irons, so perhaps those will change hands as well.
Don't Know Much About History - Guy Yocum celebrates the 36 greatest caddies in golf history, a seemingly arbitrary number for sure. He goes way back for sure, this isn't even the oldest:
SKIP DANIELSAfter the aging caddie toted for Gene Sarazen in the 1932 Open Championship, the Squire wrote: "With Daniels in the Lion's Den," the most beautiful caddie tribute ever written.
Don't feel bad, it's not like I had heard of him either....
I get why this next one is here, though it was a bit of a one-off:
EDDIE LOWERYAs a waifish 10-year-old, he caddied for Francis Ouimet during Ouimet's titanic upset victory in the 1913 U.S. Open. Later as a wealthy car dealer, he was a benefactor to Ken Venturi, Tony Lema and Harvie Ward.
Of course, Guy includes the inevitable tearjerkers as well:
BRUCE EDWARDSEdwards and Tom Watson were inseparable from 1973-'89. He caddied two years for Greg Norman, then rejoined Watson until passing away in 2004 from ALS. Edwards' courage during his ordeal inspired a nation of golfers and sports fans.
Sad mostly for how little progress has been made.... Just a fun trip down memory lane.
It's Always the Wife - This was the bizarre story of the week, perhaps even the year:
Wives accidentally kill their husbands following freak golf cart crash
Accidentally? Color me skeptical....
A vacation in Thailand has gone awry as two men have perished following a bizarre golf cart crash.
According to the AFP news agency, two South Korean couples were on a ferry crossing a river that runs through a golf course when the men, who were in the first golf cart, were accidentally rammed by a cart behind them driven by their wives. The collision knocked all four into muddy waters.
Nearby fishermen were able to save the two women, but it's believed, according to police officials, an undercurrent caught the men, leading to their death.
I always remind Employee No. 2 that the wife is always the prime suspect....
Broadie On Streaks - Stats Guru Mark Broadie dishes data on streaks, most of which is of passing interest. He does remind of en epic Tiger achievement:
With the exception of Johnson and Fowler, each beat-the-field leader was, at some point in the year of his streak, top 10 in the world rankings. And the all-time beat-the-field-streak leader? Tiger Woods, of course, with an astounding run of 89 consecutive rounds beating the field, from August 1999 through November 2000. It’s commonly said that Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in baseball is the greatest streak in all of sports, but as I strongly asserted a few years ago in the pages of GOLF (“89 Straight,” July 2015), I think that Tiger’s is the streak to beat all streaks.
It's crazy good, though I'd love to know what the second best such streak might look like for comparative purposes. Though this is mostly an excuse to post an amusing tweet from Alan Shipnuck in response:
C'mon, it's Sporty Spice in a landslide....
Late Again - I'll leave you with a nice, if tardy item, this John Updike ode to late-season golf:
An hour north of Boston, the golf shops hold their end-of-season sales in early October, and by the end of the month, the club pros have flown south to Florida, to begin all overagain. The courses remain open, however, for a month or so—at first, with flags in fresh-cut cups, and then without flags but with unlined holes cut in the middle of the green, and finally with no holes in the green but perhaps temporary greens set up some yards in front, on patches of fairway where putting is as chancy as bowling across cobblestones. Nevertheless, a devoted few play on, through Indian summer and Thanksgiving, into December, until the first snowfall puts a decisive end to the golfing year.
Just as a day may come at sunset into its most glorious hour, or a life toward the gray-bearded end enter a halcyon happiness, December golf, as long as it lasts, can seem the sweetest golf of the year. The unkind winds and muddy plugged lies of April and May, the deepening rough of June, the hot, eager crowds of July and August, the obfuscating goose feathers and fallen leaves of the autumn are all gone, gone, and golf feels, on the frost-stiffened fairways, reduced to its austere and innocent essence.
I know it's no longer January, but yesterday felt very much like such a day. So much so, that the bride and I walked our golf course with her 7-iron and a couple of balls.
Give it a read, as I'm trying to bring some class to the blog.... and I'll see you from the other side.
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