Tuesday Tidbits

Just a few notes as we build towards Thursday.

This Derek Duncan item on The Ocean Course has much to recommend it, including this seemingly effortless description of the routing that I struggled to articulate:

Each nine at the Ocean Course comprises holes that form out-and-back routings wedged between interior salt marshes and the Atlantic dunes.

Wished I'd employed that level of economy of language, though perhaps Derek fails to finish the point.  Such a routing will inevitably leave one long stretch of holes in the same direction.  Based upon memories of that '91 Ryder Cup, folks will inevitably expect to see those finishing holes punish the players.  My point was only that, depending upon the orientation of the wind, the punishment might come earlier in the round.

 Duncan does a good job of describing play on several holes, differentiating the pros' options from those of a bogey golfer.  He does a good job with the second hole, a typical Dye double-dogleg Par-5, where a cluster of live oaks were moved some thirty yards to ensure their affect on the second shot into the green.

I'll instead excerpt his discussion of the short, Par-4 third:

The short par-4 third sets up for another right-to-left diagonal drive over the marsh. Expect to see the professionals attempt to get as close to the green as possible with their drives, about 370 yards away on the direct line, to leave short pitches to the green. This should be the strategy for all players because it’s imperative to approach the tiny, 3,700-square-foot knoll green with a short, lofted club. Shots that miss the green, which is perched eight to 10 feet above the fairway with steep roll-offs on all sides, will trundle down the slope, often leading to comical back-and-forth attempts to find the putting surface. Though it’s ingeniously defended by little more than short grass, indecision with the drive and imprecision on the approach could mean the difference between a 4 and a 6, or worse.

Note how pushed up the green is.  You might putt the ball up the slope, but you'll not play a linksy run-up shot for sure, especially since the green surrounds were regrassed in 419 Bermuda after that Ryder Cup.  This provides the resort guests a cushier lie under their ball, but is more "roll-resistant".  I played from a downhill lie behind the green, and it wasn't pretty because you can't really roll the ball onto the green, but rather have to play the lower percentage bank shot.

Duncan's piece comes with some first-class photography, highlighting the visual intimidation, here from the 13th tee:

There's a pot bunker on the right that does quite a bit of business.  Annoyingly, your humble blogger was not in the bunker, yet the face of the bunker is so high that it forced me to lay up short of the green.  

And this of the Sahara bunker short of the Par-5 16th green:

Duncan calls it eight-feet below the green, though to this observer, and I played out of it, that seems awfully conservative.

Luke Kerr-Dineen takes on the 17th hole, and draws one of those distinctions without a difference:

Kiawah’s 17th hole, and the difference between brutal and ‘bad’ golf holes

At its limit, the par-3 17th can stretch to over 230 yards, though officially its yardage is 223. Water runs short and all the way up the hole, to the right of the green, which gives the hole a kind of dogleg-right feel.

The beach is to the right of all that, which means the wind usually blows steadily in a south-westerly direction and leaves golfers hitting back into it.

Flanking the left outermost seam of the hole is an elevated stretch of man-made dunes, which pitch the two bunkers back toward the green. This isn’t any comfort, because it means any shot into those will leave you with a downhill bunker shot, into a green sloping away from you toward the water.

It all amounts to an incredibly difficult golf hole. Some may say unfairly so, but they’d be wrong. This is a brutal golf hole, yes, but not a bad one in the slightest.

 Well, all righty then...

Why?

Because despite the various booby traps laid out before you, there’s a very simple way to avoid all of them: Hitting an exacting fade.

There’s a safe sliver of fairway short of the green running up the left, sandwiched between the water and dunes. Most players this week will likely aim there and work a fade into the middle of the green.

And if you do that, you’ll probably be rewarded.

Ya got that?  Luke doesn't see to understand the inherent contradiction in the term "safe sliver".... 

I agree mostly with Luke, I just think it's a far nearer miss than he does.  They make the hole manageable for their guests by having them play it short.  Employee No. 2 played from that left tee box on the same side of the water as the green, and I played from the closest tee box on the right, an 8-iron to a pin on the right the first day, a pitching wedge to a front-left pin on the second.  

The bigger issue might be Luke's understanding of the nature of the wind.  He seems to think it simply comes off the ocean, which is at best simplistic.  I've mentioned that we were told there is no prevailing direction, and this is Derek Duncan's take form that piece linked above:

The switching, unpredictable east-west coastal winds that mirror the east-west routing of the holes means those 7,900 yards are needed for flexibility—some days half the holes could face stiff headwinds, and others, with the wind coming from a different direction, they might play 50 or even 100 yards shorter. (In May, with cooler temperatures, a confusing north wind cutting across the line of play is also possible.) Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer for the PGA of America, and his team will try to anticipate the wind direction and adjust tees forward or back accordingly. Guessing wrong could result in long days and grumbling competitors.

The only problem I have with Luke's analysis is that, in certain winds, No.17 will be both a brute and a bad golf hole.  Or, put better, there won't be much way to play it.  Just ask Mark Calcavecchia.

 Joel Beal has an item that mirrors discussions we had with our caddies:

PGA Championship 2021: The one, and perhaps only, place to find peace at the Ocean Course

There will be roughly 10,000 spectators per day at this week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. It is a welcomed sight. Fans are the undercurrent of professional sports, providing its soundtrack. Without them our games over the last year have felt ever-so off. However, during Monday’s practice round at the Ocean Course, it felt like all 10,000 were on the back nine. It is inarguably the better side from a viewing standpoint; the back offers a more dramatic, more dynamic layout, and because the holes are closer in proximity, there are a number of vistas to watch multiple groups. However, this also makes for a congested congregation.

Which is what spurred a trek to the remote edges of the Ocean Course. Pandemic or not, sometimes a man needs room to breathe, and there was plenty of oxygen at the fifth on Monday.

Yup, that's where I'd hang if I were attending:

 I would imagine that, especially Thursday and Friday, that you'd have the place to yourself.

We've covered the unusual circumstances that resulted in the 1991 Ryder Cup coming to the unknown Ocean Course, but this John Huggan and Guy Yocum feature, written in the run-up to the 2012 PGA, details the crazy week in '91:

The 1991 Ryder Cup was played only months after the Gulf War had concluded. Patriotism had been running high and unchecked on the American side, and the Europeans were fueled by a relatively new continental pride. Kiawah came after European victories in 1985 and 1987 and a draw in 1989, which meant six years of Europe holding the Ryder Cup after decades of American domination. Both teams were thick with brilliant, strong-ego players, eight of whom have already made the World Golf Hall of Fame (it’s up to 11 in 2021). Further separating the teams was the fact that golf wasn’t quite the global tour it is today, with few Europeans playing the PGA Tour full time. Finally there was the setting, a barren, exposed and unforgiving Pete Dye course that stretched players’ physical and emotional constitutions to the limit.

Portents of trouble came early in the week with a three-car pileup involving American players on their way to a Wednesday gala. On the first day of play on Friday, controversy erupted immediately when several Americans showed up wearing camouflage caps. The tenor grew worse, and over the three days of competition there were tense accusations of gamesmanship and rules-bending. Bizarre conspiracy theories were set forth, including claims of an exaggerated injury, manipulated pairings and intercepted walkie-talkie conversations. The galleries were predictably partisan.

 As one quickly grasps, everyone stayed mature and gracious:

Corey Pavin: I flew into Kiawah from Orlando with Payne the week before the Ryder Cup. When we arrived, maybe six of our guys were already there. We stayed on the upper floors of

some apartments, or condos, with the Europeans in the floors just below us. On Monday of Ryder Cup week, Payne opened the windows and put on Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” He had the volume turned all the way up, so the music poured down on the Europeans. I wouldn’t doubt that the whole island heard it.

Bernard Gallacher: The local radio station got hold of some of our phone numbers. The disc jockey seemed to think it was funny to call our players in the middle of the night. It was called Wake the Enemy. And that went on all week, even during the tournament.

But this is the bit when it got really contentious:

Bernard Gallacher: Paul Azinger didn’t help matters. He was such a volatile guy. I know Paul blames Seve for using gamesmanship, but that’s ridiculous. To be honest, Paul was the worst for

that. He would try anything to win. That was certainly true when it transpired that Paul and Chip Beck were switching balls [in Friday’s foursomes match with Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal]. It was actually Jose who spotted what they were doing. Not Seve.

Billy Foster [Ballesteros’ caddie]: We were on the seventh hole when Jose noticed that Azinger and Beck would play either a 100-compression or a 90-compression ball depending on the wind. So Seve and Jose called for Bernard Gallacher. He appeared after the ninth hole [which the Americans had won to go 3 up]. The argument broke out on the 10th tee. It got a bit heated at times. And a bit nasty.

Paul Azinger: The local rule [captains’ agreement] was, each player could choose the type of ball he wanted to play. The player had to tee off with the ball he declared on his assigned holes—even holes for me and my 100-compression Titleist, odd holes for Chip and his 90-compression [with the ball being played off the tee used for the remainder of the hole.].

Chip Beck: Playing different types of balls was my idea. I just wasn’t aware. I suggested to Paul that it would help to be able to play our own types of ball for our shots into the greens. When Jose and Seve protested after the ninth hole, it got contentious—and I mean very contentious.

Paul Azinger: That’s nice of Chip to say it was his idea, but my memory is that I suggested it. Either way, we didn’t know we were breaching a rule. No. 7, a par 5, was the only hole where we violated that rule. [Using Azinger’s 100-compression ball, the Americans were just short of hitting the green in two and halved the hole.] They were passionate when they objected on No. 10 tee. I think they wanted to claim violations on holes 7, 8 and 9 and claim those holes. As it turned out, those holes had already been played, so they weren’t able to make the claim. And we violated the rule only on No. 7 anyway.

And this on the famous Seve cough:

Lanny Wadkins: The media perpetuated and heightened all the contentiousness. A lot of it was the writers, but the players obviously fed a lot of what they wrote. And there was one guy who fed it better than anyone else: Seve. He stirred up more trouble than you can imagine. He was an expert on seizing on little things and stirring up the media. It wasn’t just the off-course stuff, either. During matches there was always the coughing, the throat-clearing. [Ballesteros, who died in 2011, addressed the match in a Golf Digest Interview with John Huggan in 2000: Everybody knows that I have allergies. So I cough all the time. For years I have been coughing. But Paul, who at that point had not played with me very much, thought I was coughing to put them off during the match. That was bull----. Then when he finished the round, he was upset because he lost the match, a match he thought he should have won. Or because he didn’t feel comfortable in his mind about what happened, he came out and said that Seve is the king of gamesmanship. He did that really to change the focus of what happened. He was very smart. He knew exactly what happened. Ballesteros would also proclaim: The American team has 11 nice guys ... and Paul Azinger.]

Then there was the Steve Pate injury....  

Care for some picks?  Golf.com has a Rory-centric version thereof:

Why Rory McIlroy will win the PGA Championship?

Josh Sens: He will win because he has found something, and when a player with his gifts finds something, watch out. On top of that, he clearly has a comfort and discomfort level with certain

courses and events (see Quail Hollow and Augusta National for that contrast) and we all know what he did last time the PGA was held at Kiawah. It wasn’t close.

Josh Berhow: Because he putted beautifully in his last start — a win at the Wells Fargo — and he’s going back to the place he dominated in 2012. Sure, that’s a long time ago, but nothing is more important in golf than current form, and Rory’s got that going for him, which is nice.

Nick Piastowski: Let’s just go Josh plus Josh here — horses for courses plays, and so does momentum. Can’t beat that, right …

The course figures to be quite different in May than August.  Though the player might turn out to be the same guy we saw in April...

Why Rory McIlroy won’t win the PGA Championship?

Josh Sens: He won’t win because winning is really, really hard, and even as one of the odds-on favorites, he has the odds stacked heavily against him

Josh Berhow: So he won in his last start? Big deal. Let’s not forget he’s missed the cut in two of his past four starts, and both MCs came in his biggest events of the past six months. And he didn’t just miss those cuts — he missed them badly, with a combined scoring average of 76. It would be a nice story if he returned to Kiawah and found magic once again, but fairytale endings don’t happen near as much as we’d like them to.

Nick Piastowski: I think that the win means that McIlroy is on the way back — but isn’t quite there yet. That one-over 72 in the first round at the Wells Fargo also jumps out at me.

You know how, on a golf course, that second guy (a dropped second ball or provisional) is a heck of a player?  Apparently the same rule holds for Rory predictions...  But here's where they give us their real bets:

Josh Berhow

To-win: Patrick Reed, +3,500. I like a gritty player with a strong short game to win this week, so Patrick Reed immediately grabs my attention. He’s second on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting and is one of the best/craftiest players around the greens, too. It’s also a major, and he rarely struggles in the big ones. He’s been no worse than T13 in his past four major starts.

Hate to admit it, but I see the fit.  The short game of course, but he's also a guy that should able to handle the wind, not that there's much in the forecast.

 Here I'd recommend burning the money instead:

James Colgan

To-win: Brooks Koepka, +5,000. Is Brooks Koepka fully healthy? Probably not! He looked hobbled (and not at all himself) in his performance at the Masters, which is a smart reason to stay away from him. That being said, +5,000 odds for a player six months removed from contending for a PGA three-peat? That’s value that might just be worth the risk.

At least you get the heat...

Dylan seems to have morphed into a Xander dead-ender:

Dylan Dethier

To-win: Xander Schauffele, +1,700. This PGA is particularly interesting because none of the front runners come in without some extra baggage. Was Xander Schauffele allergic to the lead on Sunday at Augusta? Sure. But he still might be the best player in the game. This is the week he climbs the mountain. (But maybe sprinkle in a top 10 bet just to make sure. …)

I'm not saying that the X-man won't pay off on his promise, it's just that I personally have gotten tired of the wait.

Jessica Marksbury

To-win: Rory McIlroy, +1,150. I just can’t imagine anyone having a better chance than Rory this week. Not only is he fresh off a victory at Quail Hollow, he’s a former champion at this very venue, and the ultra-long course seems like it will suit him even better (if that’s even possible) this time around. Bring on major victory No. 5!

The less important the event, the more I like Rory's chances.  Last I heard, this one is pretty important...

Zephyr Melton

To-win: Jordan Spieth, +1,500. Jordan Spieth is back to doing Jordan Spieth things, and it feels like this is finally his time to complete the career grand slam. The small tweaks he made in his swing are paying dividends, and with the championship contested at the windblown Kiawah Resort, I like the shot-making Texan’s chances to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy come Sunday.

I'm not one who thinks Jordan will win a PGA and complete the career Grand Slam.  But, were you to tell me that Jordan had won a PGA, this is the kind of PGA I'd like his chances in.  Except that I'd want a weather forecast that was far harsher than the 8mph winds currently expected.

Nick Piastowski

To-win: Matthew Fitzpatrick, +6,000. The major breakthrough happens this week. And when I looked at the 2012 leaderboard and saw three Englishmen in the top six (and Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland winning), this pick began to look really good to me. (Could also be a sleeper at those odds.) '

When I saw the name, my reaction was that you could almost get away with him as a sleeper pick.  Almost.   

Tim Reilly

To-win: Dustin Johnson, +1,850. I still feel that we’re bound to get a run in DJ’s career where he rolls off a few major victories. I still have faith the ’20 Masters was the start of it, and it will pick up at the ’21 PGA Championship.

He's looked pretty awful, and we're still not sure about that knee... 

Claire Rogers

To-win: Rory McIlroy, +1,150. The new father secured his first win since November of 2019 at the Wells Fargo Championship last weekend, and he won the PGA Championship by eight (!) at Kiawah in 2012. His game is trending in the right direction, and I’m expecting a good week for the Northern Irishman.

No doubt the biggest beneficiary of the absence of wind...

This at least shows some imagination: 

Josh Sens

To-win: Daniel Berger, +3,000. Lots of talk this week about the Ocean Course playing nearly 8,000 yards. Big whoop. I’m betting that bombing it will matter less than plain old grit. I’ll take the great putter who doesn’t have an ounce of quit. Not to mention a guy who has been rock solid all year.

For very much the same reasons that Spieth and Reed keep coming up.   And Reed at least does keep coming up:

Andrew Tursky

To-win: Patrick Reed, +3,500. Reed is a grinder who navigates windy conditions well with a relatively low ball flight. That’s not a bad combination for success on an Ocean Course that typically sees high winds and unpredictable conditions. He’s also in decent form coming off a T6 at the Wells Fargo and a T8 at the Masters over his past three events (although he did miss the cut at the Valspar).

Jonathan Wall

To-win: Viktor Hovland, +2,000. Has the game and mindset to handle whatever Kiawah throws at the players this week. And with back-to-back T3 finishes heading into the PGA, he’s peaking at the right time. Hovland has the pedigree to win at least a couple of majors during his career. It starts this week.

Sean Zak

To-win: Daniel Berger, +3,000. It’s time for the Class of 2011 to bag another one. Berger’s best golf has come in the past 12 months. Let’s see it!

What's missing?  No love for JT seems the most obvious...  Jon Rahm is another obvious omission, as well as Mr. DeChambeau.   

I must leave you here and get started on my day.  I will almost certainly give myself a day off from blogging tomorrow, but we'll reconvene for sure later in the week.