Weekend Wrap

It was a weekend of company and socializing....  Some skiing, but very little consumption of golf.  Not that that in any way inhibits my strong opinions thereon...

The Can't Miss Kid - Or won't miss, as the next event he skips will be his first:

South Korea’s Sungjae Im has played more golf than anyone on the PGA Tour the last 18 months, competing in 50 events and rarely taking a week off during that span. As it that wasn't challenge enough, add in the difficulty of being a stranger in a strange land, who

doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t own or rent a home in the United States and literally lives out of a hotel. 

It seems only fitting, then, that in typical ironman fashion, the 21-year-old’s first career victory on Sunday at the Honda Classic was hard work, too. 

After birdies on four of his first five holes followed by three bogeys in the middle of his round, Im rallied with two more birdies over his final four holes and a clutch par save on the last to win by one over Mackenzie Hughes in what was an electric final hour at PGA National.

For many, he was the revelation of the Presidents Cup, though those folks were a tad late to the party.  A  high ceiling, and he's still barley able to get a legal drink, what's not to like?

I did catch Im's up-and-in on the finishing hole, as well as the two chasers in the final group rinsing their balls on No. 18, one of which provided a glimpse into out future:

As he stood over his approach on No. 18 at PGA National, things were looking decidedly 

bright for Tommy Fleetwood. Even though he’d yielded his 54-hole lead, the 29-year-old had just poured in an impressive curler for birdie at 17 to get within one stroke of Sungjae Im, who was sitting in the clubhouse. Then he’d split the fairway at 18, leaving just 235 yards in on the par-5 finisher. 

But as Fleetwood took a rip with a fairway wood, NBC’s microphones picked up a fan screaming, “Get in the hole!” in the middle of his backswing. 

Fleetwood, who typically favors a draw, had sent a high cut into the sky, chasing the far-right pin. But he started the shot way right of his target and could only watch with a grimace as his ball dropped into the lake, dooming his chances at a first PGA Tour win.

There are times, as in the example above, where  the Shot-tracer line seems like a hate crime....

Tommy Lad and caddie both insist that they didn't hear the imaginative shout, which really could have come from anywhere...  In that link above, Dylan Dethier spends far too much time parsing Team Fleetwood's response:

Four possible explanations: 

1. Fleetwood didn’t want to make excuses. Sure, he heard something, but didn’t want to take the easy way out. 

2. Fleetwood didn’t hear the fan. He was in the zone — and fans scream stuff all the time. Fleetwood didn’t even notice. 

3. The audio was out of sync on the broadcast. What’s confusing about this possibility is that the audio of the club hitting the ball is perfectly matched up, but it’s possible to imagine multiple audio inputs or that the club noise was artificially added from the production truck. 

4. The audio was captured from elsewhere on the hole. Maybe the viewers at home had a distorted sense of how loud the scream was, especially from Fleetwood’s perspective, because the microphones picking it up were planted in the crowd far from the action. This could serve as a potential explanation for Reed’s situation, too.

Excuse me, Dylan, none of these are mutually exclusive....I remain convinced that the scream came from the grassy knoll.  But where is Abraham Zapruder when the nation needs him...

But such are the wages of Living Under Par™.  Combining this with an embrace of legalized sports betting seems a combustible mix, but I'm a lonely voice in the wilderness on such subjects.

Our weekly visit with the Golf.com writers includes this odd question:

2. Sungjae Im came up big down the stretch at the Honda Classic and won by one over Mackenzie Hughes and two over Tommy Fleetwood. Needing to birdie the par-5 18th to force a playoff, Hughes took a mighty cut on his second shot from 254 yards out and hooked it hard into the grandstands around the green. But thanks to a local rule he was able to take a drop from 72 yards (with a great angle to the flag) and still give himself a chance to make birdie and tie Im. Hughes missed the potential tying putt, but the question remains: Are pros getting too much of an advantage when they can swing away knowing the grandstands are there to bail them out? What’s the solution?

OK, this is actually an interesting aspect of professional golf, though you'd have thought they'd spare a minute to discuss the highly-touted youngster's breakthrough win.  And while the reference to a local rule is technically correct, it's passing strange to discuss it without that dreaded acronym "TIO".

Anyway, it's always fun when the writers at a golf magazine show off their ignorance:

Dethier: I don’t think players intentionally aim for the grandstands, but they definitely know they’re there, at least in the back of their minds. Some bleachers could be deemed penalty areas, so that those cushy drops come with a one-stroke penalty. Or, you could put in the pillar-shaped tall, thin bleachers from the Hogwarts Quidditch Stadium — and eliminate free relief. I like that option even better.

Dylan, you ignorant slut.... I know you're young, but still...I can save my breath, because grizzled vet Mike Bamberger sets the tyke straight:

Bamberger: Oh, young Dylan! From somebody of your golfing sophistication. Of COURSE they aim for grandstands when that’s the best play (not in this case). The drops are often comically generous but these events are also televised entertainment (not my view but the prevailing one) and they allow the show to go on with minimum disruption.

One of the most famous (and least understood) such examples was Jean van de Velde's second shot on the 18th at Carnoustie...  He was aiming for the grandstands right of the green, anticipating the sweet drop in his future.  Alas, in one of the worst breaks in golf history, instead of plucking Aunt Sadie, the ball hit a handrail and bounced straight back across the Barry Burn, from where pathos ensued.

 The solution to this is hidden in plain sight:

Sens: Mad props to the Harry Potter proposal. But I prefer what the R&A did at Portrush last year. Grow the rough up around the grandstands. Make “grandstopping” less appealing. 

Shipnuck: Yes, the gnarly lies in the drop circles at Portrush gave the errant shots the bad lies they deserved. That’s the simplest and best solution.

Absolutely, though gnarly drop zones have been used by the R&A prior to Portrush....  But glad you guys noticed.  At least some of you.

This I think a good issue as well:

3. Honda Classic host PGA National showed its teeth this week, as Im’s six-under total was the highest winning score in relation to par on Tour in a non-major since the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open, and this was also the first non-major since 1996 without any players recording a round of five under or better. Does the Tour need more grind-’em-out bogey-fests, or do you suspect they’re a turn off to fans watching at home? 

Dethier: Can’t speak for everyone at home, but I was much more likely to tune in knowing I was in for a healthy mix of birdies, bogeys and “others.” I’m not here to argue that PGA National is among the great golf courses on Tour, but the all-or-nothing suspense down the stretch does make it particularly entertaining. Nobody shot better than four under all week — that’s wild! Challenging conditions are always entertaining. 

Sens: What Dylan said. Bomb-and-gouge birdie-fests can be good fun now and then. But I think most fans want to see these guys work hard for it.

Shipnuck: Variety is the key to an entertaining Tour schedule. But I do enjoy the tension that comes with a really tough setup — it’s like a 0-0 game in baseball, where every little moment is fraught. That’s way more fun to me than a pushover course that doesn’t penalize mistakes. 

Bamberger: Well said, comrades. As we saw at the Presidents Cup, little in golf is more interesting than a fast course.

I couldn't disagree more, Alan.  I think a kind of mind-numbing sameness to each weekly event is the key to truly Live Under Par™.

My feeble humor aside, if you don't enjoy watching the best players in the world deal with conditions (firmness, per Mike, but also wind, rain, hail, pestilence and the slaying of the first born), you've made a curious choice of channels....

Chicks Dig Speed - Submitted for your approval is, if you happen to be a Ponte Vedra Beach suit, is the analogy from hell....  Our elite player are all about speed, right?  If you doubt me, just google "Phil Mickelson speed" for a taste...  So, isn't this interesting in the context of golf's distance explosion?

France is overseeing the most collaborative atmosphere in NASCAR history. All stakeholders — the sanctioning body, teams, drivers, track operators and television

partners — have brainstormed improvements and ideas to stop the plunge in attendance and television ratings. The solution is a new rules package aimed at markedly improving the on-track product. 

The new package uses aerodynamic ducts and a tapered spacer to reduce engine horsepower — in simplest turns, it should slow the cars and bunch them closer together to increase passing attempts and improve the overall competitiveness. It will debut in the second race of the season, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 

The old package permitted a handful of teams to move so far ahead of the competition it took too long for anyone to catch them, the racing suffered and fans stopped watching. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. combined to win 20 of 36 races last season, though the “Big Three” lost to Logano in the championship finale.

Who knew NASCAR drivers spent so much time in the gym....  Because, as I've been reliably informed, the increase in the distance golfers hit the ball is explained entirely by their ab work.

Obviously it's not a perfect analogy, but it's pretty darn good, no?  Technological changes have de-skilled the "sport", so said technologies are rolled back to create a better competitive environment that rewards a wider range of skills.  Nothing to see here....

A Fiskapalooza - Geoff had way too much fun with this over the weekend.  Tempting to just link you to his post, but then my competitive juices start coursing through my bloodstream, and what's a lonely blogger to do?

We'll lede with Geoff's header:

From Many, One: Live Under Par Is No Longer Golf's Lamest Slogan

Easy there, Cowboy, this is an extremely competitive category....From the USGA's press release:

‘From Many, One’

USGA Unveils New U.S. Open Brand Platform

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Feb. 29, 2020) – As part of the United States Golf Association’s ongoing commitment to invest in the U.S. Open and elevate the championship experience for players and fans, the Association today proudly unveiled its new U.S. Open brand platform, “From Many, One.”

Sigh.  Strike that, Le Sigh!

First reaction:  It's the friggin' U.S. Open, which has never, does not now, and will never require a "brand platform".  It's more than a little disconcerting that the folks governing (or, more accurately, failing to do so) our game can't see that they diminish their asset in hiding it under a gimmicky ad slogan....

Shall we allow them to continue to violate the first rule of holes?  I thought you'd be jiggy with that:

To help frame the creation of the brand platform, the USGA engaged key stakeholders over the course of the past year. Players (including some USGA champions), fans, media members, partners, representatives of host sites and volunteers were asked to share their thoughts on what makes the U.S. Open a one-of-a-kind major championship.

These constituents provided unique insights that included identifying the “open” nature of the championship, the grit and determination it takes to become a U.S. Open champion and the triumph of the human spirit as key attributes. Their insights led the USGA to the foundation of the platform, “From Many, One.”

Now, that slogan seems somehow familiar....yanno, triggering the mystic chords of my memory.  Which, it so happens, is not accidental:

‘From Many, One’: U.S. Open Brand Platform

The U.S. Open brand platform was developed in partnership with Culver City, Calif.-based Zambezi and is centered around a campaign line “From Many, One;” a new take on the motto “E Pluribus Unum” that will celebrate the nearly 10,000 golfers who will try to qualify for the championship, the 156 who will play and the one who will be crowned U.S. Open champion.

The premise of “From Many, One” is not a new one for the U.S. Open. It is something that was present at the first U.S. Open in 1895 and will be there in the future.

Not accidental, though incoherent for sure.... I know they want to wrap themselves in something larger, but it really doesn't work at all.  Besides which, didn't they get the memo, E Pluribus Unum is merely nonsense from dead white guys....

A bunch of folks combining to form a unified political entity in the 1700's is just like a group of pampered professionals competing for untold riches in the 21st century.  but I assume this confirms that each and every one of the "Many" will be receiving a participation ribbon....  

Enjoy Shack's righteous Fisking, but I find this highly troubling.  OK, perhaps "highly" overstates things, but it's so terribly difficult to take these folks seriously on important issues when they throw away money on nonsense such as this.

On  a related note is this Golfweek item:

USGA says U.S. Open generates $165 million annually. Here's where all the money goes

The bottom line: The U.S. Open generates $165 million in revenue annually, or about 75

percent of the USGA’s total revenue. 

That money funds, among other things, the 13 other national championships the USGA conducts annually. 

“Virtually everything we do loses money,” said USGA CEO Mike Davis in a media roundtable at Pinehurst. 

During a packed afternoon session at the Carolina Hotel, John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s senior managing director of championships, put up a pie chart that broke down the revenue. It costs $80 million to conduct the U.S. Open. Then $15 million goes back to the players in amenities such as hospitality and travel expenses for amateurs, with $12.5 million into the purse. The rest of the money, roughly $70 million, is invested back into golf.

Ummm, thanks for that breakdown, John.  I'd just like to note that hiring a fancy California advertising agency is not  "investing back into golf."  And how much is Don Cheadle being paid?

Wither Tiger? - A continuing series dating back to 2014...  You've heard the news for sure:

Tiger Woods will miss the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second straight year in order to rest his body and continue training, sources told Golf Digest. 

It's a somewhat surprising announcement considering Woods' history at Bay Hill—he's won the event eight times, most recently in 2013.

This is less surprising than it seems.  Yeah, folks are swayed by those eight wins, but much has changed.  First, The King is no longer with us, and it might be the worst course they play on the Florida swing... But the biggest change is the schedule, with the Players Championship the following week.

Though this from Steiny is interesting:

“He is not going to play,” Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, wrote in a text to Bob Harig of ESPN. “Back still stiff and just not quite ready.”

 That's a high-water mark for actual information from that source... I'll go with ever.  

Bob Harig expressed concerns in this item:

Will Tiger Woods be able to play enough before the Masters?

Fair enough, though I'm thinking he might have struck "enough before" from it and addressed the bigger issue.

The Tour Confidential panel continues their singular focus on the one player, but on a tangent seemingly far removed from the issues of greatest concern:

1. After finishing last among players who made the cut at the Genesis, Tiger Woods skipped his hometown Honda Classic and won’t play at Bay Hill next week either (where he has won eight times). His agent, Mark Steinberg, told ESPN in a text: “Back still stiff and just not quite ready.” Woods has said before that this is the new reality, but after a rough start at the Genesis and now a mention about his back from his agent, are Tiger’s Masters odds starting to feel inflated? (He’s currently the second favorite between Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.)

We don't actually now whether the man needs help getting out of bed in the morning, but you're all over the Vegas odds?  Sheesh, way to stay on the important issues of the day.  But, praytell, has there ever been a tourney when Tiger's odds to win weren't inflated?

When You've Lost Feherty... - ...you've lost the country.  Though which country is the harder question.

Making the media rounds to promote his eponymous TV show on the Golf Channel, SI

did a roll call of names on Tour, asking Feherty to give his thoughts on each subject. When the discussion rolled to Reed, Feherty didn't mince words. 

"Jesus. You can put that in there actually. Just Jesus," Feherty said on Reed. "I mean, I don't even know what to say. It's just, it's going to follow him for the rest of his life."

But David, I was reliably informed that there's nothing to see here, specifically by Webb Simpson.  "Unfairly" being the key word...

"I'm not even sure that he's polarizing," Feherty continued. "I'm not sure there's too many people on the other side, you know what I mean? I mean, "there is no God" was the first thing I said after he'd won last week. There is no God, you know, that's proof of it right there. Amazing. I mean, he is amazing. He's Captain Oblivious, just can let everything run off his back. I've never seen anything like it."

Well, he's not Captain Table For One for nothing....

This might be the most interesting bit, his take on a question I posed when the Kostis allegations broke:

Feherty finished by saying if he did see a player cheat, he would say something, albeit not on TV. "You point that out to your producer for sure," Feherty said. "Tell them that you saw something happen and then, it's kind of the producer’s decision."

I like David, but this isn't a great moment.  I get his instinct to pass the buck, but the question of the obligation of the broadcast team is an interesting issue, to which he has come out in punt formation.

David, any chance of you committing an act of journalism?  I'd love to see Tour professions shown that Barclays video and asked for a reaction....  I know, no need to DVR his show.

A Fun Spin On Course Rankings - Via Geoff, a ranking of golf course for the 99%.  First, his brief take on the dreadful state of the ranking biz:

Little known fact: golf course rankings have become dreary affairs focused on experience and in the case of too many, rewarding design difficulty over fun. Imagined in this enlightened age rating movies based on how uncomfortable the seating was, and how long the movie played (three hours is resistant to…fun!).

Little known?  I don't think so....  Largely ignored, for sure.

Well, yeah!  

Defining what is ‘fun’ and what makes one course more ‘fun’ than another is, in my opinion, even harder. 

If what each of us thinks makes a course ‘good’ differs greatly, what we think is fun is at least as fluid. In an attempt to define it – not least to illustrate to you the kind of courses our panel has included in the 100 – I asked our contributors and some architects to tell me ‘fun’ meant to them. You’ll see that while there were common themes, there was also a wide spectrum of essential factors mentioned. 

That, I think, helps to explain the presence of so many different types and styles of courses in the list, which I firmly believe is a good thing. 

As a general rule, courses that are relatively short in length and relatively forgiving in nature prosper – which is entirely predictable. Frankly, we could have populated the list with nothing but that kind of course.

People having fun on a golf course?  I find that highly irregular....  

The list itself is a conundrum to blog, as it's all over the lot.  But as I scrolled through all one hundred items, a smile was in evidence at all times.  I was delighted to see two tracks from our Cornwall-Wales trip included, St. Enodoc and Pennard (with two others deeper in the list).  These are wonderful, unique links that are, indeed, a delight.

I'm of mixed minds about this, which is really a category error:

St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club

Course Information 

It is better known as The Himalayas, which as anyone who has experienced it knows, is a very apt description of this riotous facility that sits between the Old Course and West Sands in St Andrews.

It was founded in 1867 as a venue for ladies, who were enjoying tackling the putting course the Old Course caddies had set-up but which was causing friction between the sexes (this was the 1800s at least…)

It's a hoot, at least if you play it in the absence of the inevitable crowds.  So many folks go play The Old Course without knowing that this exists, that it's a public service to promote it.  I'm just a little hung up about it not being, you know, an actual golf course.

But as Shack notes, it's hard to quibble with their top three, North Berwick, The Old Course, and Cruden Bay.  And so many other names for those looking to depart the beaten path.

I shall leave you here and hope to see you tomorrow.