Thanks for being so understanding about this week's blogging hiatus... I know it was a burden for you, but the bride's back issues curtailed my golf over the weekend. Plus, Bobby D.'s money always spends so sweetly... Of course, his daughter is getting married this weekend, so he won't mind a little trash talk.
The Skinny On The Skins - The Match™ seems to have died a quick and painful death, but now we have the reboot of The Skins Game, with a very curious catch by Shack:
Tiger Woods is playing another skins game with two big differences. This one is in Japan and will be broadcast live around the world by Discovery-owned GOLFTV.
The exhibition is called "The Challenge: Japan Skins," and it will be played Oct. 21 leading into the PGA Tour's first official event in Japan. It features four of golf's biggest names from each of their continents -- Woods, Rory McIlroy of Europe, Jason Day of Australia and Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama.
"This is our opportunity to think outside the box," said Alex Kaplan, president and general manager of Discovery Golf. "We'll put guys in different situations, and it will be a surprise to them what they are. There's going to be some fun tweaks these guys aren't used to."
Woods played four times in the original Skins Game, which had become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition in the California desert until it began losing star power and was held for the last time in 2008, three years after Woods' final appearance. He never won in four tries.
Rebooting a tired old format is thinking outside the box? Phil seems to be the guy with no chair when the music stopped, but will they play for, in his memorable phrasing, enough money to make them uncomfortable? Well, that's the curious thing:
Players need to win a hole outright, or it carries over to the next hole. Total prize money is $350,000 -- $10,000 per skin for the opening six holes, $20,000 for the next six holes, $20,000 through the 17th hole and $100,000 for the 18th. There also will be charitable component.
OK, set aside that their carefully drafted press release is incoherent.... Is it $20,000 for Nos. 7 through 17, or was that second twenty grand supposed to be thirty? Setting aside that final hole, do those numbers seem a tad paltry? Yanno, by the standards of the day...
I get chided for my over-reliance on a certain fellow blogger, but he seems to be the only one that picked up on this:
In the original 1983 Skins Game, the dollar figures were:
$10,000 is at stake on each of the first six holes, $20,000 on each of the next six and $30,000 on each of the last six.
His speculation, which sounds about right, is that the money all went into appearance fees.
And, in case you're thinking of watching, never mind:
Because the event will be shown on demand for free around the world -- fans in the U.K. and Ireland will be have to subscribe because of existing rights deals -- Discovery Golf determined that a 1 p.m. start at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba would be the best fit.
That means it will start at midnight Sunday in the eastern U.S. after the NFL is over, and 9 p.m. on the West Coast. It will start in the early morning of Europe. Australia is one hour ahead of Japan.
"There's not a perfect time," Kaplan said. "You map out where the key markets are and what's possible on the course and do your best possible. It's where you drive the most viewership, and then you look at when the sun goes down. We could have started in the morning, but Japan and Asia are important markets for Discovery. We had to make sure we had it at a meaningful time. The lunch hour does that, particularly for streaming."
Asia is a big market, for sure, though apparently not big enough to support much of a purse. And it seems more than a bit strange that Tiger couldn't work up any enthusiasm to play this summer, but is all-in on the Zozo nad this.
Solheim Leftovers - Four days later and there's still a bit of a glow.... I just wish more had seen it.
Eamon Lynch makes an obvious point:
What the Ryder and Solheim Cups provide is that combustible mix of great golf, personality clashes, sportsmanship, gamesmanship and sometimes even sour grapes.
Team golf almost never disappoints. But the absence of it does.
In a little over 300 days, at the Summer Olympics in Japan, we’ll get 72 holes of men’s and women’s individual stroke play. The same thing we see every other week of the year.
Golf would benefit enormously from seeing men and women compete together in a team event and the Olympics is a perfect stage for it.
With a field weaker than the Hero World Challenge....
I though Marina Alex played great down the stretch, and her after-action behavior was equally good:
She's got game. She's a local girl, playing out of North Jersey Country Club...
This guy was more impressed with the newest talking head than I, though it's not like I saw much of it:
The Forecaddie watched Michelle Wie’s Golf Channel studio debut figuring she’d gone through months of training and preparation. She spoke fluidly but never redundantly, appeared comfortable and offered engaging insights without ever forcing her views in the name of getting attention.
Turns out, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion’s role analyzing the Solheim Cup alongside Golf Central veterans Cara Banks and Paige Mackenzie came together at the last minute. The Man Out Front hears it all started with Golf Channel’s player relations head, Courtney Holt. When Wie announced she was shutting down for the remainder of 2019 to rest her injured wrist, Holt informed the five-time Solheim Cup participant that there was a place for her in TV.On screen, Wie sounded like a veteran of the medium. She delivered cogent thoughts as if she’d been in television for years. Yes, TMOF is well aware Wie got a degree from Stanford and has been doing television interviews since she was barely a teenager. Still, it’s a different task to sit under bright lights and deliver criticisms, as she did with artful precision Sunday in dissecting captain Juli Inkster’s decision to middle-load her lineup.
Well, the bar is set pretty low here, though I found the criticism vague and pro forma...
But this guy has other plans for The Big Wiesy:
Who should be the next U.S. Solheim captain and why? -@Amandagolf59
I love Juli Inkster and she did a helluva job across three Cups but since she says she’s stepping down we’ll let her ride off into the sunset without a fuss. How about Michelle Wie as a successor? She’s clearly transitioning into a post-playing career. She was a strong Solheim Cup competitor and is close to many of the players on tour. Fair or not, the Solheim still needs to attract more eyeballs. We’ve seen how much buzz a Tiger Woods captaincy has brought to the Presidents Cup. Wie could move the needle, too, and think how much fun we could have with a Millennial in charge: everyone would get a participation trophy!
But what is this Prez Cup buzz of which he speaks?
The Solheim Cup was fantastic viewing. Congrats to both sides. Hard to ignore the fact that the bulk of the top-ranked players were missing. Would Asia dominate a Rest-of-the-World version of the Solheim Cup vs. either the USA or Europe? #AskAlan -@BCunningham0
Yes. next question.... Oh, did you want to hear Alan's take as well?
In the post-Se Ri Pak world, it’s harder and harder to keep Asia out of these conversations. For sure, that would be a powerhouse team. But Europe or the U.S. would still have a fighting chance. Through the years I’ve had a couple of Korean writers explain to me that match play is not part of the golf education or culture there. With most of the top women turning pro as teens, they don’t play college golf, either. So Team Europe or U.S. would have a big advantage dealing with the vagaries of match play, to say nothing of the accumulated institutional knowledge from decades of Solheim Cup preparation. Mike Whan should use the political capital from this spectacular Solheim to establish a Presidents Cup-style extravaganza that finally gives international players in general and Korean ones in particular the showcase they deserve.
Alan makes some interesting points, but c'mon, guy.... The Asians would pummel the Yanks, and that's before dealing with where Brooke Henderson and Maria Fassi would play.
Where does the Solheim Cup rank in major golf events of 2019? Certainly top 2 in my opinion, and there’s a real argument for it being #1 considering there was incredible suspense until the bitter end (whereas everyone knew Tiger had secured the jacket after his second on 17). -@JFleming2311
Yeah, it’s a funny thing about this year’s majors: they were deeply impactful but the 72nd hole at each was rather tension-free. Brooks secured his place in the pantheon, Lowry’s win was utterly epic and Tiger’s triumph may be golf’s signature moment of this decade, but there was a lack of truly memorable shots during their final rounds, save Tiger’s tee ball at 16, which, sadly, is becoming commonplace to that pin position. The Solheim, meanwhile, was riveting, defined by gutsy shotmaking and then a bang-bang finish so dramatic my head was spinning. I felt nervous throughout the entire back nine of the Masters but no moment this year hit me harder than the denouement at the Solheim.
Ok, about a dozen category errors in both the question and answer. But maybe it's better to step back and acknowledge that the Solheim Cup isn't a major golf event, and yet it thrilled and excited us. Were one to think this though, one might conclude that format and the layers' intensity are key variables.... Oh, who am I kidding? Nobody in any authority is thinking along those lines... They're just trying to convince us that Olympic Golf is epic.
Again, no one seems to know their golf history:
Following Pettersen’s lead, what would make the greatest golf walk-offs considering all current golfers? -@ScottMichaux
That’s easy: Phil returning to the scene of the crime, Winged Foot, and finally winning his U.S. Open, the same week he turns 50. Rory nabbing a green jacket and then calling it a career would also be epic and more analogous to Pettersen walking away while still young(ish) and healthy.
(Whispering oh so quietly) : Bobby Jones.
I didn't really get to deal with the slow-play issues from this event, so let's allow for some ranting on that subject, mostly as relates to four-ball play. First, Beth Ann Nichols:
Slow play was a hot topic of conversation all day at the Solheim Cup, and when American Lizette Salas received a bad time on the 13th hole, it offered a glimmer of hope to the event’s brutal pace.
According to the Golf Channel, Salas took 72 seconds to hit her second shot on the 13th hole. The new Rules of Golf recommend 40 seconds for each shot.
Salas’ group was the first off at 12:40 p.m. local time. They took two hours and 57 minutes to play nine holes and were clocked at four hours and 21 minutes on the 14th.
Alistair Tait was not kind:
Pace of play at this Solheim Cup seemed to hit an all-time slow. Snails, turtles and tortoises move faster than some of these players, especially in the fourball matches.
Yet only one player was given a bad time.
Well, I'm always amazed when anyone is timed, so we've got that going for us. But, as this week's Tour Confidential panel makes clear, it's not quite that simple:
3. Slow play was a major talker all week, as groups were put on the clock and one player even received a bad time (yet no player ever received a DQ from a hole). Are you OK with team exhibitions like this being played at a slower pace, or is there more (or less?) reason for them to be policed like regular Tour events?
Mikey Bams does his curmudgeonly purist thing...
Bamberger: I think teams would play better by playing faster. These are players not accustomed to having a lot of chit-chat analysis from playing partners, and now suddenly they do. So, yes, play faster and enforce the rules exactly as they are written.
And does it well, yes?
But young punk Dylan Dethier has the more nuanced take:
Dethier: I was watching on Sunday and thinking how if there was something like a shot clock, it would take away from these crucial moments where players take time and tension builds, much like a closer gathering himself with the tying run on base late in a baseball game. Yeah, faster would be better, especially early on in the match. But I don’t mind the drawn-out drama later on. My position sounds difficult to legislate, though.
I would be curious to know the pace of play on Sunday in singles, because fourball is to me obviously problematic. And add in tough conditions, especially swirling winds, and they're gonna be out there a while. That's why it's critical that ekeep JB Holmes off any future Ryder Cup teams, because your humble blogger's life expectancy is shorter than the time he would need for a fourball match.
But this is precious:
Zak: I’m OK with four-balls taking longer (to an extent). There are inherent advantages in seeing your opponent’s result, so I understand it. Also, all that slow play came during whipping winds and tough conditions. I’m going to walk the line and remind us that it’s all relative.
Inherent advantages? Is it really too much to expect the guys at Golf Magazine to know basic rules? Because you know what can really slow down a game? Yeah, having to replay all of your good shots. Just ask Annika....
Is Brooks The One? - Rory is relieved to finally have a rival worthy of him, as recounted in a recent podcast:
“Brooks has been undoubtedly the best player in the world for the last couple years. I’vebeen lucky that my career and my consistency level has been good for the last 10,” McIlroy said. “I feel like they’ve tried to create a rivalry between myself and Tiger, myself and Jordan (Spieth), myself and Dustin (Johnson), myself and Brooks, myself and Jason Day.
“It’s nice there’s a common denominator and it’s usually me, which means that I’m doing something right.”
McIlroy admits he tried to conjure up a rivalry mentality with Koepka during the Tour Championship at East Lake, “because he dusted me in Memphis” at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude. Paired in the final group with Koepka in Memphis, McIlroy held a one-shot lead entering the final round but shot a 71 on Sunday. Koepka shot a bogey-free 65 and won by three shots. McIlroy finished five back.
This from a guy that hasn't contended in a major since 2014? He's the guy that's been MIA from the rivalry discussions the last six years. It was a nice win for him at East Lake, especially with Brooks along for the ride. But this is a guy that gets dusted by Jeff Knox, so I'm not sure that Brooks thinks you're his biggest challenger because, why would he?
Ashkay Time - On Monday we gave props to Alex Myers for tagging Joaquin Niemann as one of his elev sleepers for 2019-20. he also included this guy, though halfheartedly:
Akshay BhatiaHe’s definitely the youngest player on this list, and he probably won’t earn any PGA Tour status this season, but … just in case … we don’t want to be late to the party whenit comes to predicting big things for this 17-year-old phenom who is turning pro this month. The clear-cut top-ranked junior golfer in the country, Bhatia became the youngest player ever to earn a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team. He begins the 2019-’20 season with no status on any professional tour, but the lanky lefty should get his full allotment of sponsor’s exemptions. Hopefully, he has his driver’s license as he begins life on the road.
Awfully young.... but now also awfully rich, as he makes his professional debut this week:
The end of one era and the beginning of another continues for Akshay Bhatia, who announced on Tuesday that he has signed an endorsement deal with Callaway.Two weeks ago, Bhatia was the first golfer still in high school to compete for the United States in Walker Cup, scoring two points for the Americans in their victory over Great Britain & Ireland at Royal Liverpool.
Smart of Cally I suppose to lock him up early, but what's the track record with such early starts? Mixed, at best:
Ty TryonHe made the cut at the 2001 Honda Classic at 16; later that season, Tryon became the youngest player (17) to earn a tour card through Q School. That, coupled with an enormous sponsorship deal with Callaway, amplified the Tryon hype to deafening levels. A battle with mononucleosis derailed his rookie season, and he made just four cuts in 21 starts playing on a medical exemption the following season. He qualified for the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Opens, but hasn’t made a regular PGA Tour start since 2003.Ryo IshikawaIshikawa won a Japan Golf Tour event at 15, and by 17—following four more Japan victories—was the youngest golfer ever to reach the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Although he played in three majors in 2009, he was introduced to the world in 2010 when he was T-2 after 36 holes at the U.S. Open. Ishikawa would finish T-33 that weekend at Pebble Beach, and though he would make 145 starts on tour, he never found sustained success in America. However, he has enjoyed a career rejuvenation in Japan the past two months, with two wins and two additional top-six finishes, vaulting him to No. 109 in the OWGR.
You've got Rory and JR in that mix, as well, though the latter spent many years in the wilderness before figuring it all out.
Back to Alan's mailbag for a tangentially-related question:
#AskAlan We’re hearing a lot of “sure thing” and “can’t miss” labels being placed on young players right now (Wolff, Hovland, Niemann, Morikawa). Add this to still-young Bryson, Xander, JT and Jordan. Is there really room for them all to be superstars? -@linksplayers
I think we’re going to have to downgrade our definition of a superstar because, as you point out, the depth of young talent is nuts. (Jon Rahm didn’t even rate a mention in the question!) And that’s to say nothing of the insanely talented, slightly older generation of Brooks, Rory, DJ, Woodland, P-Reed and Cantlay, plus still dangerous (relative) old-timers like Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari and Paul Casey. Five wins used to be the unofficial definition of a monster year, but as we saw in 2019, three victories was good enough to be POY. It’s never been harder to win on Tour than right now so we’re going to have to remember that when we’re handing out superstar honorifics.
Whatever became of that Jon Rahm guy? It is quite the impressive gaggle of young talent, but I'm old enough to remember the Class of 2011.
An Ode To Max - Max Homa is reputed to be the best "Follows" in golf, which is likely Greek to my readership. It refers to this social media thingee, and I'll just copy-and-past a small selection:
Not bad...And on the subject of caddies:
Heh. He's good at this self-deprecating thing:
He even does TMI well....
Who wouldn't, but you gotta love a guy that admits it.
Click through for hos engaging profile of himself.... he's a gem, just hope he gest himself into the scrum at the top.
See you tomorrow.
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