Monday, November 7, 2022

Weekend Wrap

I can't imagine you watched much golf this weekend, so perhaps you're in need of our wrappage services....  Of curse, your humble blogger didn't watch any more golf than you did.

The Bataan Death March Winds Down - What, you thought the orphaned wraparound season finale was going to be received with great fanfare?  At least Mayakoba pampers the players sufficiently that some of known brands come for the facials.  Rumor has it that this player, previously best known for being confused with Brandt Snedeker, played like a superhero:

Russell Henley slays 54-hole demons, collects fourth PGA Tour victory in stress-free fashion

Who even knew that Henley had previous 54-hole leads?

Winning on the PGA Tour is a satisfying feeling, but the manner in which it is achieved matters, too. And the way Russell Henley won the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba on Sunday in Riviera Maya, Mexico sure felt fulfilling to the Georgia native.

Henley secured his fourth career PGA Tour title with a four-stroke victory over Brian Harman by overcoming nerves and demons and loads of past disappointment while holding a 54-hole lead. But with six shots in hand beginning the final round, Henley didn’t need the fireworks he supplied the first three rounds as much as he needed to douse any hopes of his pursuers by limiting errors.

So it happened that a one-under 70 at El Camaleón Golf Course was more than adequate for Henley to win for the first time in five years and pick up a check for $1.476 million. Just as importantly, he converted for the second time in seven tries with a 54-hole lead, the other coming in his first tour title at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii.

“I just tried to learn from my past and my screw ups,” Henley said with a chuckle after posting 23-under 261, tying Viktor Hovland for the lowest score in tournament history. “That’s kind of what I took from the last two events from this season, and ‘what am I doing wrong and how can I get better with it?’ All those events I didn’t close on, they hurt. And you don’t know if you’ll ever get to win another one. It’s so hard out here. To come down 18 with a four-shot lead, it was just really cool. I don’t know what to say.”

Of far greater import than the results, it appears to my trained eye that we have a worthy new entrant into that competition for the world's weirdest golf trophy.  I mean, I have a few questions.... is that a sombrero they were going for?  If so, I see little connection to the sponsor but isn't it, yanno, racist?  Asking for a friend....

I've come up empty in my search for anything interesting or relevant from the week, except perhaps for the immediate Henley family.  The Tour now heads to Houston, which I can't imagine would draw much of a filed, then finishes at Sea Island, where at least Kooch can be expected.  

Then we wait to see what Jay comes up with for Fall 2023, something perhaps only the sponsors care much about.

Other Golf - I can't muster up any interest in their tour, but will this guy ever go gently into that good night?

Bernhard Langer is running out of senior circuit records to shatter, but he’s now got a biggie
clearly in his sights. With a spectacular weekend in which he shot 63-66, the 65-year-old German stormed to a six-shot win on Sunday in the TimberTech Championship to eclipse his own mark that he set in February as the PGA Tour Champions’ oldest winner.

Langer’s third win in the TimberTech at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in his home area of Boca Raton, Fla., puts him only one victory shy of Hale Irwin’s Champions Tour record of 45.

Langer has been playing on the tour since 2007 and notched at least one victory in each of his 15 seasons. He’s captured five tournaments or more in a year on three occasions, with a high of seven in 2017. He won 42 times on the European Tour (second all-time), with three PGA Tour victories, including two Masters.

Winning by a touchdown at age 65?  Shouldn't he be shopping Medicare Advantage plans?

It always surprises me when a player whose name I've never heard wins on any of the top tours, and we had one in Japan:

Gemma Dryburgh continued a trend of a first-time winners on the LPGA in 2022. The 29-year-old Scottish pro shot her second consecutive 7-under 65 to capture the Toto Japan Classic by four strokes at Seta Golf Course.

“I was in Korea last week with friends and I said to them ‘I’ll mention you in my speech’ as a joke,” said Dryburgh. “But it’s overwhelming to be honest. This has been a dream of mine for a long time. A lot of hard work has gone into this, so it means so much.”

Dryburgh, who has one additional top 10 this season, finished at 20-under 268 for the tournament, shattering her previous record, a 276 from the 2019 Pure Silk Championship. She’s the 11th Rolex First-Time Winner of the season, tying the tour record for most Rolex first-time winners in a single year, which last occurred in 1995.

Only one other top ten all season, but she's now got a "W" on her C.V.   Ironically, while the Scots gave us this crazy game, in the modern era they haven't been all that successful at it themselves:

A former Tulane standout, Dryburgh becomes the fourth Scot to win on the LPGA and the first since Catriona Matthew at the 2011 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Prior to this, she won the 2017 Oatlands Ladies Pro Am on the ALPG and three events on the Rose Ladies Series, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matthew is the only one I could have named....

The Match That Will Not Die -  Wassup with The Match™?  No doubt you saw the recent news, which we'll get to in a sec, but who owns this baby?  I had thought this was something Tiger and Phil were doing as partners, though subsequent events make them. at best, awkward partners.... The kind that don't have much to say to each other.

It's been, well curious, watching this evolve.  I had come to two important conclusions related to this franchise, both of which argue against this installment:

  1.  Tiger is a fairly boring individual, and doesn't add much to these hit-and-giggle events, and;
  2. It's actually far more interesting watching the amateurs play.
The Tour Confidential panel had similar thoughts:

1. According to multiple reports, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas will star in the next edition of The Match, which is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 10
in the Tampa, Fla., area. This will be the first of the seven editions of The Match that will feature four pro golfers instead of a head-to-head battle or star from a different sport. Do you like the idea of getting back to the basics, or would you rather see another famous athlete who you don’t get to watch on the golf course every week?

Josh Sens: Better to mix it up. With most of these made-for-TV confections, the personality matters more than the profession. Tiger is an exception. Most of us want to see him in almost any setting, even if he rarely says anything interesting on mic. Otherwise, though, I’ll take good chemistry and engaging banter, and the relatable experience of watching a non-Tour pro struggle. The worst versions of these events feature Tour pros making lame jokes and forced conversation along with their birdies. Like that torturous Bryson-Brooks event. Elite ball-striking? The regular season already offers plenty of that. These one-offs should be more about offbeat entertainment, and you’re less likely to get that if you stick strictly to Tour pros.

Dylan Dethier: The timing of this event is pretty ideal and the personnel is, too. While Phil Mickelson’s personality carried the first several iterations of this event, Tiger Woods might be more comfortable with this crew, and we’re all eager to see him mix it up. Sens is right that offbeat is better — I loved the QB-only showdown this summer — but if we’re going back to all PGA Tour players, this is about as intriguing a matchup as it gets. These guys aren’t exactly playing for their legacies, but that’s fine. Looking forward to it!

James Colgan: I dig it! The format was growing unquestionably stale, and in a weird way, ditching Phil’s clearly made-for-TV antics might help in the long run.

That's probably as attractive a pairing as they could come up with among Tour alpha dogs, and I'll add this reminder:

Despite Thomas never playing in a Match, he did moonlight as an on-course reporter for the second one, which was Woods and Manning vs. Mickelson and Brady in May 2020. He received rave reviews, but now he gets to pick up the clubs. Luckily he’s pretty good in that department, too.

So, who besides JT will entertain us?  Jordan to me is a maybe, but those two old guys are pretty boring....Then again, what else is there to watch in December?

Given our recent history, this might be the most surprising bit:

The Match might also be the first of two-straight weeks Woods, who played in only three official events in 2022, plays golf on TV. The week after is the PNC Championship, which Woods has played the last two years with his son, Charlie. He’s yet to officially commit to it for this year, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Tiger and Charlie team up once again.

Obviously these will both be cart golf for Tiger...  But old habits die hard, as Tiger won't even tell us which silly season events he'll play in.

USGA Doings - I can be a tad critical of our governing bodies, so let's celebrate that which they get right.  I'm a big believer that venues matter, and I especially love when they use their smaller footprint events to take us to interesting places:

Chicago Golf Club is one of the most storied courses in the United States, and soon, it will add two new chapters to its illustrious history.

The USGA announced on Tuesday that Chicago GC will host two USGA championships over the next decade-plus as the U.S. Women’s Open and Walker Cup will be played at the renowned club. The U.S. Women’s Open will visit Chicago in 2033 while the Walker Cup will follow in 2036.

“The history of the USGA and American golf can’t be told without Chicago GC, and just over 125 years after hosting its first USGA championship, we’re thrilled to announce our return for two additional significant events,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer. “With the tremendous support of its members and a world-class venue, we’re confident that Chicago GC will deliver memorable moments and an opportunity for golf fans around the world to see one of the country’s finest golf venues.”

Chicago GC is located in the western suburbs of the city and was founded in 1892 by C.B. Macdonald. It debuted the first 18-hole course in America the following year and was one of five founding member clubs of the USGA when the governing body was established in 1894.

It doesn't get much better than this, great design and comparable historical import.

And let's not forget that the next two Walker Cups will be held at the Old Course and Cypress Point.  Be still my foolish heart....

Although the strangest part of this welcome news is that the Fried Egg posted this strange architectural credit:

OK, I have no problem citing the work that Seth Raynor did there in the 1920's, but how can you post that without crediting that Macdonald guy?

Did someone mention Cypress Point?  Because this has been making the rounds:

Won't be any fun watching them play this hole in the Walker Cup, will it?  Not sure you could pick a better hole to ace, at least if you're going for a high degree-of-difficulty score.

Just one last USGA marker:

Golf distance debate: What you need to know as USGA, R&A close in on major announcements

 Do they have it in them to take this on?

Sunday marked the end of the first LIV Golf season, and whether you are a fan of the upstart tour or not, there’s no denying player defections, the massive payouts that LIV golfers have received and Greg Norman’s squabbles with the Official World Golf Ranking system were big storylines in 2022. Looking ahead, the continuing saga of LIV Golf will assuredly be a huge part of the golf narrative in 2023, too, but it might be eclipsed early in the season by news coming from Far Hills, New Jersey, and St. Andrews, Scotland.

I guess Dave Dusek didn't get the memo that Far Hills is now Liberty Corner...

He's got a pretty good summary of where things stand, but he's got an announcement date in mind:

There is an unwritten rule among the game’s organizations that you don’t make an announcement or drop a news item around the time of another organization’s event. For instance, it would be very surprising for the Augusta National Golf Club to make an announcement regarding the Masters Tournament a week before the Ryder Cup, which is a PGA of America event, and the USGA would prefer not to drop a big news item on the Monday after the Players Championship, the crown jewel of the PGA Tour. For that reason, as well as other internal reasons, the USGA has typically made announcements with regard to distance findings in February, a month when other golf organizations are typically quiet.

That means if history is a guide, in about three months we could get an announcement about how the USGA and its partner, the R&A, intend to change equipment standards and rules to battle distance.

Think they'll drop it during a LIV event?

Does LIV complicate this story.  You know how tight Phil has always been with the USGA.....

Man's Inhumanity To Man -  Apparently Aaron Judge's pending free agency takes a back seat to these player moves:

Following the conclusion of LIV Golf’s inaugural first season, many questions remain about the controversial Saudi-backed league, including just how different it is from what currently exists in
professional golf. But one way it promises to distinguish itself from the PGA Tour is with its team/franchise model, where LIV members play on four-man squads with the ability for team captains to sign and trade players like in other professional sports leagues. In turn, that creates a wrinkle that hasn’t been seen previously in pro golf—the creation of player free agency and a transaction market. And apparently, no time is being wasted with this first “offseason” for big moves to be made.

Just two days after LIV Golf’s season finale at Doral, ESPN reported a pretty shakeup with the newly crowned team champions. That's right, the juggernaut 4 Aces are already breaking up. Say it ain't so!

According to ESPN, Peter Uihlein will be joining Dustin Johnson's squad, while Talor Gooch is going to Bubba Watson's team. Or, rather, he's leaving for a team to be named later, because Bubba's franchise is planning on changing its name from Niblicks GC. That's great news if you're a Niblicks fan, but bad news if you own a Niblicks jersey.

OK, so it's not exactly LeBron's "THE DECISION." That being said, Uihlein is a bit of an unexpected commodity after finishing third on the regular season points list in LIV’s debut year to earn a $4 million bonus, which matched his career PGA Tour earnings in over a decade as a pro.

My God, they're breaking up the 4 Aces?  Shouldn't they get a Last Dance opportunity? 

2. Just days after LIV Golf finished its inaugural season, ESPN reported Peter Uihlein will join Dustin Johnson’s squad, with Talor Gooch moving to Bubba Watson’s team. Sure, a minor move for a league trying to gain traction, but is LIV’s ability to swap players like this via free agency a major feather in its cap to grow interest going forward, or just another minor detail?

You're seriously asking about Talor Gooch and Peter Uihlein?   

Sens: Reminds me of that time in the late-70s when the Red Sox traded the crafty left-handed pitcher Bill Lee for the light-hitting infielder Stan Papi. You remember that, don’t you? Of course you don’t. Maybe there will come a day when this whole team thing will make sense to me — the odd names, the over-the-top payouts that we’re somehow supposed to be excited about, the trades. But for now, it all strikes me as something that interests only the tiniest number of fans, and I’m not among them.

Dethier: In theory, both the team concept and the free agency bit could both be intriguing. Free agency is undeniably interesting; in the NBA it drives as much discussion as the actual season, arguably more. But it’s tough to build teams and allegiances out of nothing. If the 4 Aces all moved to Buffalo, N.Y., for example, and took on a Wegman’s sponsorship, their franchise might attract some loyal followers. For now it’s not clear what’s at stake for fans.

Colgan: LOL, Sens. Your point is well taken. Until we learn a little bit more about the financial and competitive implications of a free agent/transfer market, it’s not worth the ground it stands on.

Look, the team concept is the one aspect of the whole LIV initiative that might ultimately have some appeal, although they certainly haven't figured it out yet.  

Amusingly, Gooch is my candidate for most annoying LIVster, because his gargantuan sense of entitlement seemed so manifestly out of proportion to his actual accomplishments in our game.  And, apparently, Captain DJ agrees....

I shall discharge you here, and we'll visit again as the week unfolds.

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