Weekend Wrap

That was quite the strange day yesterday.  I turn on a golf tournament and a rugby scrum breaks out....

Ponte Vedra Pontifications - What to make of it all?  First, this game piece from Steve DeMeglio:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – It wasn’t enough that the best players in the game had to get the better of a TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course that can double as a 7,189-yard migraine headache to win The Players Championship. 

That a $2,25 million paycheck awaited the winner. That 15 players including A-list stars were stampeding to the finish line, seven of whom held at least a share of the lead during the final round. 

Nope, the Sunday blanket of pressure involved another tormenting factor to be conquered – the elements. But the swirling winds, occasional rain and bitter temperatures just added to the heart-racing theater that featured one show-stopper after another in the final hours of the PGA Tour’s flagship event. 

When the Players curtain was finally drawn, and the thrills and chills blew out to the nearby sea, Northern Irishman and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy was holding the new gold trophy awarded the victor. On St. Patrick’s Day, no less.

Just wanted to get the obligatory St. Paddy's Day reference behind us.   Don't know about you, but I could have done with more explanation of those conditions from the NBC crew.  I get that it was cold and raw, at least for Florida, but was there really that much wind?

With clutch shots throughout the back nine – a birdie from a fairway bunker on the 11th, another birdie from a fairway bunker on the 15th and a two-putt birdie on the 16th – the 29-year-old McIlroy held off local favorite Jim Furyk to win by one shot. 

“I needed to show a lot of character out there,” McIlroy said. “I think all the experiences I’ve had over the last few weeks in terms of trying to win and not getting over the line definitely helped me today. Maybe if I hadn’t had those experiences, I wouldn’t be sitting up here with this trophy, so I’m thankful and grateful for those experiences I’ve had this year.”

But the NBC crew was all over this, to their credit:

Among the long list of unwritten rules in the game of golf, it’s generally not a great idea to be the last guy on the range Saturday night. Often times being the sole player flagging range balls as the sun sets before the final round means you’re searching for an answer heading into the most important round of the week. 

“It was a little unique,” he said. “It was unique because I feel like the problems that I had yesterday came from the strongest club in my bag, the driver. … I felt like something just wasn’t right.”

“I was just getting a little quick from the top in transition. I wasn’t really completing my backswing,” he said. “I was getting onto my left side too early, getting way ahead of it, and I was hitting these shots to the right. So just worked on that.”

Good on him for putting in the work, though he still only hit eight of fourteen fairways, and with all the holes that take driver out of his hands that's not great.  The lad is an incredible driver of the ball, perhaps the best out there.  It's his wedge play and putting that hold him back, and yesterday showed his continued weakness with those clubs.  In fact, to his lack of distance control with his wedges we can now add a consistent pull... 

Shall we check in with the Tour Confidential panel?

1. Just last week in this space, after yet another near-miss from Rory McIlroy, we debated what’s holding him back from PGA Tour win No. 15. Well, on Sunday he closed with a two-under 70 to clip Jim Furyk by one and win the Players Championship. Did you see enough today to assure you that McIlroy’s Sunday struggles are behind him? 

Sean Zak: I might normally be inclined to point out he only had to shoot 70 to win, but on that golf course and with that finishing stretch, he pulled off all the shots he needed to and in impressive fashion. Does it mean he’ll close his next opportunity? No, doesn’t mean that. 

Dylan Dethier: Like Zak, the devil on my shoulder wants me to point out that “holding off a charging Jim Furyk” doesn’t typically define greatness these days. But that would just be trolling; this was a sensational performance from Rory, who battled back from bad starts on Saturday and Sunday and dropped the hammer when he needed it most with really, really good iron shots on 15, 16, 17 and 18.

Good one, Dylan.  Though you might consider a mulligan on "sensational".  Unless, of course, you didn't see Rory play the fourth hole....

Josh Sens: It was good to see Rory steady himself after that double at the fourth, when it was starting to look like a deja vu Sunday for him. But more than long-term evidence of anything Rory-related, the round was a reminder of how many things have to go right to win against a stacked field. The biggest guns around McIlroy (Day, Rahm and Fleetwood) all had off days. If any of those three had played anywhere near their potential, we could have easily been talking about another close call for Rory.

That seems spot on to me.  I'd also add that Rory has never been very good in the wind, so the fact that he was the one to right the ship could raise the spirits of those that would like to see him complete his Grand Slam in a few weeks.  

I've long accused Mike Bamberger of being an analog commentator in a digital world, so he of course goes all binary on us:

Michael Bamberger, senior writer: Yes. For sure. He won.

So Mike, it's either a 1 or a 0?  But Tiger reliably informed me that it's a process.... One last opinion:

John Wood: We were paired with Rory the first two rounds, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen anyone drive a golf ball like he did. Little or no curve, long, high, and accurate. I thought he would be extremely tough to beat if that continued. Well, it really didn’t over the weekend, but he found other ways to get it done. And in the end, that’s ALL that matters. He got it done. And when he needed them most, he came up with huge drives on 16 and 18 to seal the deal. And best of all…when it was his turn to play, he did it quickly and confidently. There was no indecision or wavering.

That last bit is a subject for another day.... well, days.

The guys next go for the wide-angle lens:

2. McIlroy joins Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to notch 15 PGA Tour wins and four major titles before the age of 30. Does McIlroy get enough credit for what he has accomplished thus far in his career?

Zak: Hell no, but mainly because his years 26-29.9 have lacked in defining victories. Sure Bay Hill 2018 was fun (but we cared more about Tiger) and the Tour Championship in 2016 was fun (but we cared more about Hazeltine a week later…and Arnold Palmer passing the day prior). Not only that, but he’s come up short at majors. So no, he doesn’t get enough credit for being the prospective Best European Player Ever, BUT he hasn’t earned a place without ridicule either.

Remember last week, when Alan Shipnuck fielded the question about underachievers?  He ended up with Johnny Miller and I threw out DJ, but later it occurred to me that Rory could fit there as well.   But Sean has it right, that the only quibble with the 2011-14 Rory is that he was most fortunate in course conditions at places like Con-Kiawah-Hoylake....

Bamberger: Yes. Credit these days is by electronic deposit. Plus, I’m always singing his praises, as golfer and man. So he has that going for him. 

Wood: I don’t think he does. I read and hear a lot more about what Rory hasn’t done than what he has done, which is more than anyone else of his generation of players (Spieth is very close.). Four majors, fifteen wins and now a Players Championship. That’s a damn fine career. And he’s obviously not close to done.

I don't know, John, I picked him to win at Valhalla, but I'm not remotely tempted to pick him these days.

That Shipnuck guy had this hagiography of the lad:

The doubts were becoming as heavy as the garish yellow bag his caddie Harry Diamond was lugging around Sawgrass. But amidst all the noise, McIlroy preached patience and

radiated the certainty that better days were ahead. He talked about how happy he was away from golf — “It’s, I think, maturity…not letting golf define who I am as a person, trying to keep the two things very separate” — and how settled he felt between the ropes. It was hard to know whether this was genuine or cliché…until he was staring down his second shot on the 15th hole on Sunday.

During a meditative press conference, McIlroy dropped more Zen koans than swing thoughts. “Of course I desperately wanted the win today,” he said, “but it’s just another day. It’s just another step in the journey. My career is hopefully going to last another 15 or 20 years, so one tournament or one day or one month in those 20 years is nothing. It’s just a glimpse. So it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change who I am. It looks great on my resume. I’m very happy about that. It’s another step in the right direction. But that’s all it is to me.” 

And yet it means so much more to the larger golf world. McIlroy is back. Back where he belongs.

We all tend to over-interpret wins, because the guys tend to look unbeatable when, duh, nobody beats them.  But does anyone think that Rory looked unbeatable this week?  

We've got no shortage of silly memes coming out of Players' week, shall we dive in?

Miss Congeniality - Lots of love for the runner up, who seemed the only guy to avoid carnage yesterday:

And there was Jim Furyk, the 48-year-old with the funky swing who has not won a golf tournament since April 2015 and has finished inside the top 10 just three times in 33 starts between 2017 and 2018. The same guy who has had every excuse in the world—injuries, putting woes, an ugly Ryder Cup loss as American captain, young players

driving it miles past him—to ride off into the sunset and resurface on the PGA Tour Champions in two years time. 

But Furyk has never been that type of guy. He didn't win 17 times on the PGA Tour by giving up when things didn't go his way. On Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, not to mention the whole week in Ponte Vedra Beach, he showed the grit he's shown his entire career, carding a final-round 67 that put him tantalizingly close to what could have been the most satisfying win of his career. He came up one shot short of winner Rory McIlroy, who is 19 years Furyk's junior and 161 spots ahead of him in the Official World Golf Ranking. Not bad for somebody who two weeks ago hadn't yet qualified to play in his hometown tournament.

He missed that short one on No. 15 that will stay with him for a while, but if the old guy could play the course in these conditions, why couldn't all those show ponies?

You won't be surprised at my reaction to this TC question:

3. Jim Furyk, 48(!), ranks 212th in driving distance on Tour (272 yards), yet shot 67 on Sunday and finished just a shot behind Rory at TPC Sawgrass. With 17 PGA Tour wins, including a U.S. Open title, Furyk was already a borderline Hall of Fame candidate. Does this runner-up finish help his case?

Zak: Nah. You don’t gain Hall of Fame points with second-place finishes in non-major events. Read that again: non-major events. It sure was fun to see what ol’ man Furyk still has in his bag — that 7-iron on 18 was tasty — but we’ll remember what Rory did for his career today. Not Jim. 

Dethier: Hall of Fame credit? I dunno. But as far as losing to Europeans goes, this was definitely a more impressive second place than when his team finished runner-up at the Ryder Cup. 

Sens: Nah. On the day they start giving Hall credit for second-place finishes, they’ll have to change the name to the Hall of the Very, Very Good.

Good bit, Josh, but way late.... With Freddy, Colin and Retief enshrined, it's already the Hall of Competent Touring Professionals.

This guy agrees:

Wood: I don’t think this runner-up helps his case, but I’m of the opinion that his case doesn’t need helping to make him a member of the Hall of Fame. If Ken Venturi (14 wins, 1 major), Ian Woosnam (1 major, 1 other PGA Tour Win, and yes, a lot of European victories), Colin Montgomerie (zero majors, zero wins in the U.S.) and Isao Aoki are in the Hall of Fame, and they are, I just checked, then it’s just silly to think about keeping Jim Furyk out. Seventeen wins, a major, a Fedex Cup championship, and the only golfer to ever shoot a 58 and 59 in Tour events. He’s in.

Depressing, no?  I assume Venturi gets in because of his long tenure at CBS, but Woosie and Aoki help make my, errr our, point.

Do read this profile of Jim and his looper, from which I'll not excerpt (well, except for this picture):

Is that a world class porn 'stache, or what?

Rahmbo Unchained - We all know it's hard to follow up that great round, but I didn't expect the C-Flight to break out in that final group.  The TC panel took on the Spaniard as well:

4. Jon Rahm, who shot a third-round 64 to grab a share of the 54-hole lead, posted a disappointing 76 on Sunday to finish five back of McIlroy in a tie for 12th. Overall, was Rahm’s week a sign that he is primed to win a major — or not so primed?

Zak: Does primed to win a major mean “soon to win a major?” Because I don’t think he’ll win soon. I think he’ll win one, just not this year. The golf course and his swing dealt him a tricky hand today and he completely balked at it. I think major championship courses do that to you over four rounds. Until he proves that he can handle that without losing his mind, I’ll have a hard time believing in his major-winning chances. Of course, I tweeted about this and many people replied with “He’s just showing a little fire!” Okay, Charizard.

Charizard?   I know you'll ask, though I'm not sure this helps:

Charizard is a draconic, bipedal Pokémon. It is primarily orange with a cream

underside from the chest to the tip of its tail, which burns with a sizable flame. Charizard has a long neck, small blue eyes, raised nostrils, and two horn-like structures protruding from the back of its rectangular head. There are two fangs visible in the upper jaw when its mouth is closed. Two large wings with blue-green undersides sprout from its back, and a horn-like appendage juts out from the third joint of each wing, which is also the point from which a single wing finger passing through the wing's membrane stems. Charizard's arms are short and skinny compared to its robust belly, and each limb has three white claws. It has stocky legs and a single cream-colored walking pad under each of its plantigrade feet.

Apparently there's an "X" and a "Y" version thereof, as pictured above.  And just when I'm getting used to gender as a non-binary phenomenon....

The Venue - While I think the March date comes through as a winner, Geoff has serious concerns about the driveable Par-4 12th, first with this history:

When the 12th was unveiled at the 2017 Players, most were quick to downplay the merits of the new hole, declaring that the lay-up was too easy, therefore making the risk

of driving the green too great. Yet by the weekend that year, players were standing around longer on the tee pondering options. Several drove the green and on paper, the new 12th appeared to present a strong blend of risk and reward.

But there are too many cooks in The Players kitchen, so between executives and players offering in-house designer Steve Wenzloff their suggestions, a more robust strip of rough was allowed to grow along the lake’s edge in 2018, cutting down on balls rolling into the hazard and encouraging aggressiveness.

In addition to that Golfweek item, Shack has a boatload of ShotLink data at the blog. 

This makes perfect sense to me, as that committee's redesign on the camel hole would have assumed May's firmer conditions.  With it as soft as it was this week, there was no risk involved in going for the green.  

We can all agree that this question to that TC panel is quite silly, though it yields comedy gold:

5. A mix of long- and short-hitters, big-name players and up-and-comers contended at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium course, a design that has never lacked for drama. Dare we ask, is Sawgrass worthy of hosting an actual major?

Bamberger: Good place for U.S. Am. Good course for Ryder Cup (that would never happen) or Presidents Cup. Not a U.S. Open course by any means. Too…TPCish. 

Dethier: Maybe a Ryder Cup — but only if the U.S. wants to lose.

Dylan made a funny, as it was a Euro-centric leaderboard for sure.  As Mike notes, the PGA of America would never consider it, but a Prez Cup would seem a natural, no?

But this is the one that I wanted to share:

Wood: I am not one to deliver a long harangue about The Players Championship becoming a major, but I can tell you this: The buzz, the electricity, the nerves and pre-tournament chatter inside the ropes makes TPC as much if not more of a major than the PGA Championship. That’s not a knock on the PGA at all, I love the PGA Championship. But the Players has a combination of a great golf course (there’s not anything resembling a bad hole amongst the 18), the best field in golf, and an incredible stretch of finishing holes that ALWAYS provides drama. I don’t think it should host a major. The Players Championship is its own fantastic entity.

I'm certainly relieved to hear that your comments are not a knock on the PGA, because that's exactly how I took it.  But it highlights the Tour's inability to be happy with their success...  It is a great event, it just can never be considered one of those four.....  

I'm going to leave things here, and we'll catch up tomorrow.