If This is Tuesday...

Then I must be, checking GPS coordinates, in Utah.

Years ago, the (then) three Park City Ski resorts used to run a promotion for East Coasters to ski free on their day of arrival.  If one absorbs the pain of that 7:00 a.m. departure, the arrival time allows for skiing in the afternoon, and a free lift ticket was on offer for those with the boarding passes to prove their high tolerance for pain.  I've never previously had any interest in any piece of that.

But, with much to deal with in the condo and with my car, I felt compelled to take that early flight, so I'd have time for my To-Do list.  But then the snow forecast intervened.... With fresh stuff Sunday and

Monday (12" reported) and snow falling as we made our way up to to altitude, I suddenly determined that some of those projects could be deferred....  The real issue is that, after reporting another 6" this morning, it's going to dry out.  So, I scrambled to deal with beeping smoke detectors and the like, but Lee (my one remaining local ski buddy) and I ran up to grab about five runs, including three in a section of trees that's always deep.

It had been shredded by the time we got there, but still some deep spots to play in.  A mere 6,000 vertical feet, but you'd think we'd been out there all day the way my legs are feeling.  Another ski buddy from Florida arrived later in the day, so we'll have a troika out there  later this morning.

But, with much to do, I'll necessarily make this brief.

The Match - I know I had threatened to blog it Sunday morning, but nothingburrgers don't get your humble blogger to the keyboard on a Sunday.  That's just how it is.  Shall we riff on the Tour Confidential boys?  Yeah, that was rhetorical:

1. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas faced off under the lights in The Match VII on Saturday in Florida — the first time the made-for-TV event has featured a foursome of pro golfers. What were your thoughts on it (does night golf work?!), and what was the best moment of the night?

James Colgan: Golf Television, like fireworks and dry Martinis, is best enjoyed during the evening hours. I liked the primetime component, and I’m sure the executives at Turner Sports did, too. The Match isn’t ever going to be something that satisfies the diehards, but it’s also not trying to be that. I appreciate it for what it does for casual golf fans, and that’s about it.

Jack Hirsh: Night golf — and by extension primetime golf — had a big win Saturday night. We’ve seen it a few times before, but this was clearly the best. I’m not saying it should be used often, but seeing night golf maybe once a year would be a good balance between what fans want, what players want and keeping the allure of the rareness. The pros struggled with the shadows, which is why every course shouldn’t start building lights to host Tour events, but it was cool for the short window and could definitely attract a new audience. The best moment was Barkley complementing Thomas’ calves.

Sean Zak: The most entertaining moment was the one-club challenge, where Tiger had to hit wicked hooks just to get the maximum distance and top spin. At the same time, Justin Thomas going 5 wood-5 wood-5 wood-5 wood for a par 4 was delightful. It’s so fascinating seeing these guys have to figure stuff out on the fly.

Dylan Dethier: On its surface, golf seems like the sport least suited to being played under the lights. It’s kind of insane, really. Par-3s are the size of football fields, and think about how many lights those bad boys require! As it turns out, night golf was dreamy. High-wattage. Not even Jordan Spieth could hit it into the dark.

The best moment was Jordan Spieth walking us through the process of hitting a bunker shot in real-time — and then promptly pulling it off. I wonder if talking us through it quieted his own mind…

I think it was a good natured evening with mostly appealing personalities, it's just that the golf was predictably uninspiring.

I do agree that the one-club challenge was the single most interesting moment of the vent.  I'm a little puzzled about awarding the young turks the "honor" that left Tiger with a 5-iron, though JT's Par with that five-wood was fun, to be sure.  Not least when his partner and Kathryn Tappen were holding up those wires or ropes for him to chip under.... Weird, but fun.

The other bit that I enjoyed was that epic harvest moon, though not a single soul has written of it (and a Googel image search has come up empty).  The lighting is dramatic, but that moon gave it an eerie, surreal feel.

2. Which player do you think was the night’s MVP (from an entertainment standpoint), and did Tiger’s play give us any hints about his current form, or what we might see from him in 2023?

Colgan: The MVP was once again Charles Barkley, who has a unique gift for speaking to the exact audience The Match targets. As it relates to Tiger, there’s an old saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth that I think is appropriate.

Hirsh: Agree with James here, Chuck made this really entertaining. Had he not been there, Brian Anderson and Trevor Immelman would have really struggled to provide color to a product that so desperately needed it. I’m a huge fan of Immelman as a color man, but The Match is very different from a regular broadcast. Thomas making all the alpha moves made him the player MVP. Meanwhile, we already knew Woods still had speed from his appearances earlier this year. The biggest question is his stamina, which was not answered at all last night.

Zak: The MVP was not Chuck. He was more reserved than he’s ever been on a Match, best I could tell. The MVP was Spieth, who was making his debut. There’s a reason Jordo took third in the PIP behind Rory and Tiger. He’s wildly entertaining, if even (and often because he’s playing) from the next fairway over. His brand of golf is awesome for team competitions. As for Tiger, he looks extremely old and rigid. He wasn’t finishing swings. I know he’s hurt, but plantar fasciitis doesn’t go away quickly. Keep your expectations LOW, folks.

Dethier: Sean’s right — it was Spieth. We haven’t seen him in exactly this format and he’s really good at it. Tries just the right amount and doesn’t force it. And this situation makes it VERY easy to force it.

It just doesn't seem interesting to worry about Tiger's form when he is unable to walk a golf course.  I'm not saying that can't change, but it's hard to be optimistic at this juncture.

No one cares what the rotund Scotsman thinks, but he had this reaction:

Montgomerie certainly wasn’t alone in his thoughts that perhaps there’d be no better place for Woods to say farewell. Speaking on the Bunkered podcast, Montgomerie said:

“That was the time. Stand on that bridge, start waving, and everyone goes, ‘So, is that it?’ Yeah, it is. It would have been a glorious way to go. The stands were full, the world’s TV cameras—from all continents—were on him, he’s walking up there on his own, tears were in his eyes obviously You can’t beat that walk. I’ve done it myself. When the stands are full, you cannot beat that walk.”

Montgomerie also said he doesn’t see Woods winning any more tournaments.

“I can’t see that happening. I’d love it to happen because it’s great for the game. I would love him to win. But I just can’t see it happening.”

We always want great athletes to go out on top, but they very rarely do.... That which makes them so great makes unable to recognize the diminishment of their skills.  Or maybe it's just that this is what they do, so why stop doing it?

The MVP had to be JT, he was the only guy that made anything.  As for Sir Charles, I remain a fan, he's to me one of the most instinctively funny people around, but also found him curiously restrained as Sean Zak did.

But this item amuses your humble blogger:

The Match’s best smack talk: 5 funniest lines from Tiger, JT, Barkley, etc.

They were trying to be funny?  Good to know....

The first thing you'll notice is that the first three of the five don't have much to do with the event in question.  I mean, it's about the third time Tiger has spoken of Charlie outdriving him, which he did in the booth at the Hero.  So, is that all you got?

This is really the best of the bunch:

Rory chirps Spieth’s putting

Jordan Spieth has had some electric moments on the greens, but he’s also had some head-scratching misses. And during The Match, Rory McIlroy made sure to chirp Spieth about his putting.

On the one-club challenge hole, both McIlroy and Spieth faced 1-foot putts for their bogeys. But with irons in their hands instead of putters, gimme range was a bit closer.

“Good, good, Rory?” Spieth asked.

“I’ve seen you miss those with a putter,” McIlroy said.

 

A well-placed jab that cuts deep. Masterclass from McIlroy on trash talk.

A Masterclass?  Wow, that's what we used to call the soft bigotry of low expectations....

Who's got next?

3. With the seventh Match in the books, what type of format/players would you like to see in the next edition of The Match?

Colgan: Considering Match EP Bryan Zuriff told me he’s hoping to alternate between PGA Tour-focused and celebrity-focused iterations of the event, I’m guessing we’ll see some combination of football stars (perhaps TB12 and Justin Herbert?) involved. Personally, I’d tune in for Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, who are self-professed golf hardos.

Hirsh: Two words: Alternate shot. It’s by far the best team format and actually makes team chemistry way more important. I also think keep it to pros. This was by far the most entertaining match and it was the first to have four Tour pros.

Zak: Love that idea, James. I think this is a great format as is. Twelve holes, during primetime hours, with a couple little tricks like the one-club challenge mixed in. We just want to see fun golf. Golf that makes us smile or laugh or shrivel up in fear. We don’t really care if JT and Spieth beat Rory and Tiger. What we need next is a legitimate golf course. Florida clubs like Pelican do not inspire. How about Riviera?

Dethier: I’m trying to think which other courses would be possible to light up at night. Can we get these guys to play 12 holes at Pebble Beach, including a finish down No. 18? I liked the high-wattage jock showdown during the QB edition this summer, and I liked this golf sicko edition, too. It’s key to have fierce competitors and serious golfers, but some actors and entertainers would be a nice next edition, too.

But the dream match is obvious: Michael Jordan hosts a night match at Grove XXIII with Rory McIlroy against Tiger and Charles Barkley. Not sure how strokes would shake out, though…

I agree with much of that....

I actually find the celebs a little more interesting.... Fourball with four PGA Tour studs is quite the yawn, as we saw.

Jordan would be a good call, for obvious reasons.  But I also agree that alternate shot rocks, both with the Tour pros but perhaps even more so with a Pro-Am team.  

But the harsher reality is that the best moments in this franchise were all provided by one guy that will never again grace our screens.  His coaching of Sir Charles might be the apotheosis of that, which dampens any enthusiasm for future installments.

So, a little golf on a December night isn't a bad thing, but low expectations are indicated. 

I know that's not much but going to leave you here.  If you're wondering about the absence of photos, that's a technical issue I need to solve.  The golf websites no longer post their photos as JPEGs, but rather as WEBP files, which Blogger does not recognize.  It's taken me longer to do a screen grab at home, but the problem here is that my laptop's Print Screen function doesn't work normally.  I'll have to find a hack (which I had done in Scotland but don't remember), but that all takes time.

So, catch you later?