A heads up that today is a two-post day. In this post we'll sort through the general news of the moment, but below this on the home page you'll find a long dissertation on the USGA/R&A distance updates.
So, what shall we talk about?
Phoenix On My Mind - Yup, it's time for the Wasted, though not a Wasted for normal times. But it's interesting that this guy is showing up, no?
Rory McIlroy is playing the Waste Management Phoenix Open for the first time in his career this week. The tournament also marks the first time that the PGA Tour will welcome fans at an eventin a sizable capacity since resuming play last June amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The prospect of performing in front of a small but actual crowd naturally excites the entertainer and competitor in McIlroy.“I’m looking forward to when ... sometimes you have a pin that’s tucked behind a bunker or something, you can’t see the bottom of it and you think you’ve hit a good shot but you have no idea where the ball is,” he said. “It will actually be nice to just have a reaction, to get a clap or not get a clap.“I think sometimes the most difficult thing for me without having fans is just sometimes it felt so casual. You’re just out there playing and it’s like playing a practice round. That’s been the thing that I’ve had to get used to, because I play way better on tour than I do at home because I have something to focus on. Yeah ... just having that ... getting more in a competitive mode is a good thing.”
Rory is playing seven out of eight weeks, for reasons I can't quite imagine. But showing up here could be taken in two completely different manners. On the one hand, he's been playing poorly and finishing horribly, so maybe he's desperate for some spectator-driven energy. Or, in the alternative, he's happy to play in Phoenix, just not when the rampaging hordes of drunken revelers are out.
They have at least answered my question from a few days ago:
Having spectators at TPC Scottsdale—5,000 per day, or more than double the amount permitted at last November’s Vinint Houston Open, previously the largest of any tour event since the June restart—comes at a time when the state of Arizona is grappling with a high number of coronavirus cases.
As compared to more normal times:
Easily the sport’s highest-attended tournament in normal times, there were more than 700,000 fans on hand for the week in 2018. Of that, upwards of 16,000 per day packed into the stadium surrounding the famed 16th hole.Those numbers will, of course, be way down this year—and lower than even the original plan that allowed for 8,000 fans daily. The three-tiered colosseum engulfing the par-3 16th hole will be reduced to a single deck of about 2,000 socially distanced seats ringing the hole. And anyone in attendance for the tournament will be required to wear a mask, while sponsors such as Waste Management and JaniKing will provide enhanced sanitation measures.
Although their crowd estimates are notoriously....well, they're pretty bogus. But they draw big crowds, though this seems an unnecessary question:
With cases rising, and the tour having successfully navigated its way through the last eight months, why have any fans at all?
C'mon, guys, do we think they can forego a major revenue source and maintain the gold rush? We have to get back to normal at some point, otherwise the sponsors will move on. There will be folks that think it too early, but our long-term objective has to be a return to the status quo ante.
Obviously this will be a pale imitation of the event most dependent upon fan energy:
But the world ain’t what it used to be and that goes for the Phoenix Open.
“It’s going to feel like nothing,” said Jon Rahm ahead of the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego last week. Rahm is always a crowd favorite at TPC Scottsdale because he went to nearby Arizona State.
“Relative to how the tournament normally plays, I think it will feel like there’s no one out there,” said Xander Schauffele before the Farmers.
Of course not, but it is progress.... And seeing progress makes it easier to bear the rest of it all... That pic above is the current build-out on No. 16, holding about 2,000 souls on a socially-distanced basis.
The event is typically good fun, though most of us will be watching alternative programming on Sunday.
On Patrick - The gift that keeps on giving, for sure. Your humble blogger is not much of a social media guy, though I am familiar with the use of burner Twitter accounts and the like. If for no other reason than the irresistible Pierre Delecto story.
The first thing you need to know about our Patrick and social media is that our hero blocks everyone:
Patrick Reed’s behavior has occasionally been cloaked in smoke. That behavior appears to extend to the realm of social media.Reed’s official Twitter handle has long been noted for blocking media and golf fans from viewing Reed’s accounts. In itself this is not newsworthy; plenty of athletes and personalities block users who criticize them, although the amount of people who assert Reed has muted them is prodigious.
Doesn't that seem out of character for our Patrick? Kidding.
The send bit is that there's long been a Twitter account d/b/a @useGolfFACTS presumably controlled by Reed or his team, but never confirmed. Here's a precis of this accounts activity:
The parallels were noteworthy due to year-long speculation that the “useGolfFACTS” account is affiliated with Reed, his family or team. A look into the account’s replies show heavy activity in defense of Reed from various allegations throughout his career. However, the account has done more than defend Reed, making numerous critical and disparaging remarks toward Reed’s fellow competitors and the PGA Tour.The “useGolfFACTS” handle has routinely knocked Justin Thomas, among the complaints that Thomas didn’t deserve to be on the cover of the PGA Tour’s 2K21 video game, that Thomas “is a taker,” and that Thomas shouldn’t get his $2 million Wyndham Rewards bonus because he didn’t play in the Wyndham Championship. There was also a shot at Thomas’ temperament. “His bad attitude and actions were on full display and it was disrespectful to Niemann-his playing partner,” the account asserted on Jan. 4, 2020.
Xander Schauffele was another of the account’s targets. Also on Jan. 4, 2020, under a Golf Channel headline on Schauffele’s odds to repeat at the 2020 TOC, the “useGolfFACTS” handle replied, “Someone should check his new driver to make sure it is conforming,” alluding to Schauffele’s driver failing R&A compliance at the 2019 Open Championship. The account also alleged Schauffele patted down the rough at the 2020 TOC, attaching a video of Schauffele making practice swings.
Can you say, "projection"? I thought you could.... Note, if you haven't already, how that accusation against the X-man mirrors the video of Patrick I posted Monday, in which Peter Kostis goes beserk over Patrick doing exactly that at the Barclays.... Also, of course, Xander had some strong comments about the Tour protecting PReed.
Am I the only one wondering about the awkward team room at Whistling Straits? All three of those guys being virtual locks to make the U.S. team.
But here's the latest on that Twitter account:
Following Reed’s controversial drop during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open, Reed’s official Twitter account sent the following reply at 8:09 PM ET to a Twitter thread involving CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis: “RORY MCILROY @McIlroyRory DID THE SAME THING TODAY ON HOLE 18! AND DIDN’T EVEN CALL A RULES OFFICIAL OVER TO DEEM THE BALL EMBEDDED. END OF STORY.” Twitter users quickly pointed out that the account handle “useGolfFACTS” had sent a very similar message (ultimately sent 16 times) to various Twitter accounts in defense of Reed. The “useGolfFACTS” account’s first message about Reed/Rory was sent at 7:59 PM, the last at 8:44 PM.
I've always found burner social media accounts to be a bad look, but I seem to be a harsher critic than most. But while the X-man might have a good point about Patrick being protected by the Tour, it would seem to me that the players have themselves protected the guy as well. Given that he's an a******e and takes shots at the guy, why exactly do they continue to treat him like an upstanding member of the fraternity?
Of course there are other bad looks, such as lawyering up:
But to those who believe Reed’s tweet on Saturday is the smoking gun, Reed’s attorneys say that’s not necessarily the case. In response to a Golf Digest email about Reed’s Saturday night Tweet and his connection with “useGolfFACTS,” Reed’s lawyer, Phillip B. Costa, replied “Please be advised that the person who manages Patrick Reed’s Twitter and Instagram accounts does not run the @ use GolfFACTS account.” As of writing, a direct message to the “useGolfFACTS” account from Golf Digest has not been returned.Why does this matter? In addition to ensuring some awkward tournament pairings, proof of Reed's direct involvement with a Twitter account that disparages the tour and other players would appear to be in breach of a section of the player code of conduct that addresses such public criticism. A PGA Tour spokesperson told Golf Digest the tour has no comment on the matter. As of writing, Golf Digest has not received a response for comment from Thomas or Schauffele.
Again, September in Wisconsin should be oh so interesting... If only we had a task force to handle sensitive matters such as this.
We've got a couple of interesting follow-up items, the first from a year ago in which Brendan Porath compares Patrick to....wait for it, the Houston Astros:
Imagine Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred’s only comment on the Astroscheating scandal engulfing his sport was “I believe them” in response to the players’ denial that they promoted, orchestrated, and were fully in on the scheme. Then imagine one of Manfred’s deputies responsible for maintaining a level playing field in the league went out of his way to make sure you knew the Astros were “complete gentlemen” during the investigation of their cheating.
These are the lines we’ve heard on Patrick Reed’s December adventure in the sand from dignitaries at the PGA Tour, the other American professional sport with a cheating scandal thought to be disposed of months ago. At the Tour’s first event of the calendar year, commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the incident publicly with a defense of Reed. “I’ve had an opportunity to talk to Patrick at length,” he said. “I believe Patrick when he says that [he] did not intentionally improve [his] lie.” Monahan leaned on Slugger White’s (now of “complete gentleman” fame) adjudication and penalty (it’s never “cheating” in the parallel PGA Tour universe) at the tournament and said, “To me, that was the end of the matter.”
OK, maybe I was too harsh in that prior post about the appeal to authority involving Billy Horschel, because Brendan seems to think Rob Manfred was all over that Astros scandal. Whereas a player-driven cheating scandal resulted in exactly zero disciplinary actions against said players. As I said Monday, if that's textbook, you're using the wrong text...
This is a good reference point for those unfamiliar with the Kostis allegations of lie-improvement.
Our second analysis is from Gary Van Sickle, who has some stories that are new to me. But first, I do think this is a good summary of Patrick's current status in the game:
Long-term, Reed has bigger problems. Sponsors might be less inclined to align themselves with a player who creates rules controversies. Reed is in danger of becoming so disliked that he’s goingto endure constant heckling from golf galleries (when they return); he’s going to require security inside the ropes; and maybe worse, he could become such a distraction and pariah that he is a liability for any U.S. Ryder Cup team.
How would the so-called Captain America feel about being left off the Ryder Cup team because of character issues? That’s a polite way to say he’s radioactively toxic, and, oh yeah, nobody on the team wants to be his partner.
There’s a difference between being a self-centered jerk and a cheater. Reed is creating the appearance that he’s both. There is plenty of evidence of the former and so much circumstantial evidence of the latter that it’s difficult to disbelieve. In the court of public opinion, Reed already has lost.
Not that I'm losing any sleep over how this makes Patrick feel, but that's only a factor if Patrick is dependent upon a Captain's pick. Given this win, it's pretty obvious he'll be one of the automatic qualifiers, and the team will be in an awkward spot similar to that Prez Cup team in the aftermath of Patrick's sand castles in Albany.
One incident that has gotten lost in the shuffle was that bit when, denied a free drop, Patrick was caught on a hot mic saying, "I guess your name has to be Jordan Spieth." Kind of a dick thing to say to a rules official, no? But also just a mystery why Jordan didn't want to play with the a*****e.
Gary covers many of the highlights, though he certainly could have gone deeper on the college stuff, where Reed was accused of actually reporting lower scores than he shot. We all conflate issues, and being a jerk isn't a crime, but that's about the most primal of crimes in our game.
When Patrick won his Masters, we all remember the stories of his parents being ten miles from the club but not welcome to share in their son's success. But see what you think of this story from Gary:
Reed is a complicated man. He once played in the Sunnehanna Amateur in Johnstown, Pa., and was paired with my son, Mike Van Sickle. Their moms were on hand as spectators and, as many moms tend to do, they walked ahead to serve as forecaddies to help find any errant shots.
It was on a par-3 hole that Reed blocked one way right into the weeds. By the time he arrived in the area, his mother still was looking for the ball. Reed promptly reamed out his mother with an unending tirade of expletives. “You f---ing c---! You had one f---ing job!” And on and on and on. My son was beyond shocked.
Hey, who among us hasn't called their mother a c***? I mean, can someone tell me why they want to have a relationship with this jerk?
But while I've no doubt Mike was shocked, he didn't know the guy. The bigger questions is, knowing what we do now, why would any of the rest of us be shocked?
Shark Scat - Lots of coverage of Greg Norman's real estate moves, notably the listing of his Jupiter Florida home for $59.5 million large:
Lots more pics at the link... It's under $60 mil, so seems a pretty good value.
There was, however, a second Shark sighting, one more appropriate to these pages. As you might have noticed, we've been a little tough on the Aussie's predilection for sharing topless images of himself, not that his isn't an admirable body. It's just it seems the self-love is a little over the top...
So, the Sharks posted another topless photo of himself, but folks weren't at all focused on the topless bit:
Folks being how they are, they had some rather...well, sharp comebacks:
“Careful, your dog thinks you’re hiding a stick!” wrote one while another read, “Shark, dog and python.”
Naturally Norman’s nickname — “The Great White Shark” — was used.
“THE GREAT WHITE SHAFT!!” screamed one comment, while another compared his outline to an anaconda.
Paige Spirinac had the best response, apparently finding a hammerhead shark emoji to express her respect... Good times, though we'll leave the last word to the Shark himslef:
“I don’t have any ego about me, but I do love having a fit life.”
None, whatsoever...
On CBS - Wow, golf fans seem to be the ultimate cheap dates, as CNS is garnering all sorts of praise for a broadcast that reminded me most of....well, prior CBS broadcasts. Geoff has a long post on this subject, so let's tag along and see what he thinks:
—The new lower right scoreboard will be a fantastic addition. It may take some getting used to for viewers and camera operators. During Sunday’s show it was already apparent the camera operators were trying to better incorporate it into the frame. The new feature was helped by a close tournament and it cleverly keeps the leader displayed at all times, adding just a bit more understanding and even urgency to the proceedings.
—Shy Shows Less Standing Around. Many times CBS came right up to player as they were pulling the club back. This meant more live shots but also a little less time seeing playersaddressing the ball, mashing down rough with their club or conversing with caddies. That also may have been intentional for another reason…
—Sound seemed less prevalent overall. Almost as if they are worried about picking up less-than-savory player comments? This was a setback from 2020’s focus on sound to make up for the lack of crowds. And remember my motto: the least interesting player-caddy conversation is almost always more informative than anything an announcer can add.
—The drone shots were (even more?) spectacular. Maybe the Kaze Aerial team upgraded the camera or the soft light helped, but the shots seemed even sharper and more mesmerizing. Make sure to thank Torrey Pines in your Emmy acceptance speeches.
—The Goodyear Blimp still has its role. We’re spoiled on CBS shows with both the blimp showing a shot from above while the drone provides birdseye scenics. Without fan energy, these extras help make a slow sport more visually attractive on modern televisions. And note to beancounters: breathtaking views are appreciated by all demos.
—Quick departure to Eye On The Course. Too much of our time has been wasted hearing music and a slow toss to an Eye On The Course break. That ended this weekend where the split screen of a commercial and golf happened abruptly. The pivot was jarring at first, but was soon welcomed in moving the telecast along. So was the addition of Eye on the Course as the on-tape CEO interview played. Let’s keep shrinking that CEO box to the size of the leaderboard and expanding the live action, please. Pretty please?
Gee, Geoff, maybe not the best moment to stick it to the guys writing the checks...
But can we not all agree that this is getting a bit old?
—College Basketball ate into the telecast again and this year, perhaps because of the breaking news or a return to old form, CBS did not start on Golf Channel as they did during last year’s West Coast Swing to great acclaim.
I will beg to differ with Geoff here:
—Smartcart graphics. The new hole graphic showing ShotLink scatter charts akin to technology Fox and Turner have tried, was used sparingly. It has great potential and just looks cool on screen. Let’s face it, anything that demonstrates an effort to stay current will help golf broadcasts. Another plus: host Amanda Balionis and others could see it well, Tony Finau who said he liked the new “cool technology”.
—Painful FanDuel integration. At least Frank Nobilo pounced on Nick Faldo’s bold selection of west coast native Xander Schauffele likely excelling in the coming weeks at west coast venues. The banter helped save some otherwise stilted and painful sponcon that made the announcers uncomfortable.
Really off-putting to the rest of us, which is why I was encouraged by the coming test of a second channel for the gamblers.
Lastly, on the issue of prime interest at the moment:
—Sunday’s opening segment recapping Reed’s situation ate into vital tournament storytelling time, but it was the national buzz and a recap proved both necessary and compelling. As I noted in The Quadrilateral analyzing the various responses to the ruling, the announce team’s willingness to explain why this was just not normal behavior came through loud and clear. The Tour may not have liked it but as sports television the conversation was compelling. The only thing lacking? Perhaps a segment on tape with one of the team members explaining how most elite would have approached the situation and what they would have done to avoid the reaction Reed got. But this would have contradicted the rules official’s claim Reed did everything right and highlights my final point…
It was all a bit awkward, but they at least gave some critical reactions, which is more than I really expected. But Geoff's last bit is one most of us will agree with:
—The in-booth rules official role must go independent. This was the reaction I had when CBS announced the new plan and within a half hour it was apparent the experiment, while forward-thinking, will not work as long as the official is also paid by the players he’s commenting on. Ken Tackett was thrown into the fire immediately, as Jim Nantz said Sunday in a follow-up chat regarding the Reed situation. Having a rules expert will be huge given how much CBS leaned on Tackett over the weekend. But the role will need to be someone independent similar to network NFL rules experts. As a paid employee of the Tour, Tackett and other officials in the planned rotation will not be able to analyze or educate, something the Reed situation should have allowed for.
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