For the past four years, Rickie Fowler has been waiting.As one of the most popular players on Tour — both among other pros and fans — Fowler makes it a point to wait around the 18th green to be one of the first to congratulate a new winner.He’s done it more than a dozen times since his last victory.Two weeks ago at the U.S. Open, Fowler waited again. Playing in the final pairing alongside Wyndham Clark on Sunday, he watched his buddy earn his first major victory. Fowler was one of the first to embrace his longtime friend on the 18th green.
They played in the morning to beat the weather, so CBS' coverage made no one happy except for your humble blogger. I had heard the three guys were in a playoff and got hoe just in time to fast-forward the tape and watch it.
After Sunday in Detroit, his wait is over. Fowler won the Rocket Mortgage Classic with a birdie on the first playoff hole Sunday, earning his sixth PGA Tour title and ending a four-plus year winless drought.
“It’s just nice to have this one out of the way,” Fowler said. “It’s just been a long road.”Playing in the final grouping, Fowler posted a bogey-free 68 that featured four birdies during the final round. His 24-under total was enough to force a playoff with Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin. After failing to make birdie for much of the back nine, Fowler stuffed his approach at the 18th. Once he cleaned up his birdie putt, he was headed back to the 18th tee prepping for a playoff.“Going to 18, [I] basically knew what I had to do,” Fowler said. “Our back was against the wall.”
His play on the finishing hole reminded of his mastery of those finishing holes at Sawgrass when he won that Players Championship. Of course, a note of caution, because the expectations generated from that win haven't exactly come to fruition.
This is true enough, if a tad hyperbolic:
Those words being....
Fowler held his daughter, Maya. She wasn’t around the last time he won. He kissed his wife, Allison. He was ready. CBS’ Amanda Renner asked one question.“Rickie, it’s been four years and four months since this victory. A lot of hard times. A perfect baby in between. What does this one mean to you?First, the golf.“It’s really hard to put it all into words. Honestly, a lot of good stuff this year. Been playing some really good golf so I knew it was just a matter of time with how I was playing.”Then some emotion.“And um [his voice crackled] and yeah, I’ve had a couple tough weekends where I’ve had a chance. U.S. Open, didn’t get it done. [He paused. He looked at Mya.] But at the end of the day, get to hold her and hang with Mya, my wife. [He smiled.]”
Then a dozen words. If you want to know why Fowler is so loved and why this win seems so sweet for so many folks, well, here you go.“Yeah, winning’s great, but there’s a lot more to life than that.”
It's perfect, though I think it misses the mark slightly....Shall we check in with the Tour Confidentialistas?
1. Rickie Fowler birdied the first playoff hole to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic over Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin. It was Fowler’s first PGA Tour win in more than four years after a couple of close calls the last few weeks. What impressed you most about the way he won? And how much does his stock rise for The Open at Royal Liverpool, a course where he’s had success before?Jack Hirsh: No one was really making a lot of bogeys Sunday at Detroit Golf Club, but pars might as well have been the same. Fowler didn’t make a birdie between the 7th and 18th holes and it seemed like he was starting to let this one slip away. He three-putted a par-5, he started having a two-way miss, he was pulling putts, he left his pitch on 17 almost short of the green. Those kinds of shots could have rattled a lesser player, not Fowler. His two approaches on 18 in regulation and then in the playoff after poor tee shots showed exactly how Fowler got into the top-5 in the world in the first place. I think his stock was already pretty high going into Hoylake. Now he’s got the taste of victory again.Dylan Dethier: Those two approaches into 18 were memorable stuff. But I think I was most struck by the realization that this isn’t just some fluky victory; Fowler deserved this win based on his standard of play. Sunday’s win marked his 13th top-20 finish in his last 15 starts, which means he’s been among the most consistent performers on Tour. (Sidenote: Scottie Scheffler remains on a different plane entirely.) The way he has retooled his swing, his gear and his team — and the way it has actually worked out — is remarkable. In 2014, Rory McIlroy won and Rickie Fowler finished T2. Would the same result shock anybody, given their respective form?
Rickie taking another silver would be a yawn, though Rory winning anything these days would shock your humble blogger.
Zephyr Melton: It was impressive to see him step up on 18 in regulation and knock one stone dead. He hadn’t made a birdie the entire back nine to that point, and it looked like he was gonna come up just short once again. Instead, he dug deep and got it done. It’s hard not to like his chances heading into Royal Liverpool. He won’t be among the top tier of favorites, but he should certainly be considered in the next tier.
The popularity of Rickies win was likely best captured by this guy:
If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.—Rudyard Kipling
It turns out that, whether on top of the world or ranked 185th in the world, that Rickie is the same guy.
It's also the answer to a question we dealt with frequently in the last 18 months. Often, as a result of the old/injured guys signing with LIV, one heard words along the lines of, "Well, you can't blame them". Actually, we can and should, though I'll concede to the extent of understanding the temptation....
Rickie fit that profile as well as anyone, and the Man in Orange would have commanded quite the premium. However, I don't recall anyone asking Rickie why he didn't grab the riches. Especially for a guy knocked about his extensive sponsor commitments....
As for this, it's quite possible but hardly a lock:
So, you're saying there's a chance?
He was 16th in the U.S. standings coming into the week and moved into the top 12 with this win, but he's still far from securing one of the six ironclad automatic qualification spots. A hot finish certainly makes that possible, but if he can't crack that, he'll have to rely on a captain's pick. Working in his favor there is the fact that there are six captain's picks to be doled out, he's an incredibly popular figure among his peers, and—at least for now—he's got one of the hottest hands in the sport.Johnson hasn't made any comments specifically about Fowler–most of his press conferences have been dominated by LIV Golf discussion—but that time is coming soon, and you can bet he's eyeing recent results very carefully. This win, of course, did not come out of the blue, and follows on the heels of success Fowler has had at the U.S. Open and at other big tournaments this year, including the WGC-Match Play, where he defeated Jon Rahm head-to-head.
Was it only Tuesday that I did that Ryder Cup update in which Rickie's name didn't appear?
He's got himself in the mix, the problem being that the U.S. roster is so damn deep.... And that's even before we think about LIVsters above and Beyond Brooksie....
Sixty-Five Is The New... - I watched some of the early round coverage despite the appalling venue. Shocking that an organization that's taking us to both Seminole and Cypress Point would force Sentry World upon us. I even tried to discern if, while praising it to the skies, the commentators were sending hostage-signals with their blinking eyes....
No issues with the winner, especially since his game didn't seem all that well-suited to the course:
Bernhard Langer might be 65 years old, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down.Langer, a two-time Masters champ, won the U.S. Senior Open on Sunday, finishing two strokes ahead of runner-up Steve Stricker. His final-round 70 featured five birdies and four bogeys at SentryWorld Golf Course, earning Langer his record 46th PGA Tour Champions title.“I did very well and was able to block it out and try to stay in the present,” Langer said. “I really felt at peace today, which we don’t always do.”The win is also Langer’s 12th senior major title, another record for Champions players.
The TCers had these thoughts:
4. Berhnard Langer won the U.S. Senior Open by two shots over Steve Stricker. Langer not only breaks his own record for oldest winner on the PGA Tour Champions (65 years, 10 months) but also, with his 46th senior tour victory, he breaks Hale Irwin’s record for most wins all-time on the over-50 circuit. Are you surprised he’s been able to keep winning events well into his 60s?Hirsh: Langer’s longevity is insane. There’s really no other word for it. He was already in the Hall-of-Fame after winning two majors. And he has, without a doubt, become better since turning 50. There are obviously things he can’t do as well anymore (he didn’t hit a single chip shot at SentryWorld all week) but he’s adapted his game to continue to succeed. At this point, he doesn’t surprise me anymore. I’m spoiled into expecting it. I don’t think it’s crazy to think he could still be winning at 70.Dethier: Yes, I’m surprised, because nobody’s done it. You’d think a U.S. Open at a long, difficult course with thick rough and high scores might favor a (relatively) young basher, but no — Langer ruled again. Respect.Melton: All of us are at the mercy of Father Time, but Langer appears to be exempt in that regard. He’s the Tiger Woods of the Champions Tour, and he continues to raise the standard. I doubt this is the last time we see Langer win out there.
He certainly doesn't seem like he's winding down, does he?
LIV IS The New... - Just a few bits to amuse ourselves and fill out the post. First, the TC gang:
2. The entire 10-person PGA Tour Policy Board met on Tuesday in Detroit during the Rocket Mortgage Classic to discuss the PGA Tour-PIF deal (including Rory McIlroy, who wasn’t even in the field). The Tour released a statement saying the focus of it was to begin “a new phase of negotiations to determine if the Tour can reach a definitive agreement that is in the best of interests of our players, fans, sponsors, partners, and the game overall.” We’ve learned a lot about this merger, but there are still so many unknowns. If you were a player in that meeting, what’s your one burning question you want answered?Hirsh: That’s easy. If I’m in the room, that means I stayed loyal to the PGA Tour when LIV came knocking. I want to know what my loyalty got me. We know LIV players who want to get back on the PGA Tour are going to have to get some sort of penalty, but that’s on them and it certainly won’t cancel out the millions they took to play for LIV. We still don’t know what the financial investment from the PIF to the PGA Tour is, but it’s likely to be significant enough to help make the players who didn’t take LIV Golf money whole.Dethier: I’m not sure they’ll be made “whole” in the sense that they’ll be compensated for lost LIV earnings but feel fairly confident they’ll be made “rich” nonetheless. As for a question? I’d want to know every option currently on the table. Every option. I’d understand, begrudgingly, that there needed to be a tight circle on this initial framework agreement, but now I’d like to know every way it could play out to reassert myself as an important piece in a “player-run organization.” (Although at a certain point, it’s worth noting that I may end up deferring to the non-pro-golfers given their subject-matter expertise…)Melton: My colleagues make excellent points above, but for me personally, I’d want to know what the future of the Tour (and LIV) looks like in a perfect world. Do they co-exist? Does LIV fold into the Tour? Is there a place for team golf with all the top stars? I want to know what the vision is going forward.
Yeah, not sure why they bothered, especially since the questions they're asking haven't been negotiated yet.
It's far from a great question, but the writers seem not to understand that the more interesting rift isn't between the PGA and LIV, it's within the PGA Tour. I characterize the events of the last year as a coup by the elite top twenty, so any question about player objectives or reaction will necessarily have two answers, because their interests are far from aligned. That's why you'll probably find me referencing that Rory McIlroy - Grayson Murray confrontation another hundred times...
But why would we give a rat's ass what this guy thinks?
3. Speaking of the deal, in an interview with ESPN last week, Nick Faldo, who had previously been critical of LIV Golf, voiced his support for the proposed merger, saying “I think when the dust settles, whether it takes six months, a year, whatever, my goodness, pro golf is in an overall better position financially than we were back in the day.” Do you agree with Faldo, and do you expect other detractors to make a similar about-face in the months ahead?
Well, Rory seems to be, so why shouldn't the rest of them?
Hirsh: Once the initial shock of the merger wore off, it sure seems like most people — save TomWatson — are starting to warm to the idea of the merger. Ultimately, if it goes through (which is still a big if), it will reunite a fractured game which is objectively good for it. I still think I don’t know enough about what this is going to look like to say I agree or disagree with Faldo, but I’m not as opposed as I used to be. I’m just assuming “back in the day” doesn’t actually mean Faldo’s years on Tour…
Dethier: Compared to Faldo’s day? Uhh, yeah. A lot of things could go wrong financially and that would remain true. For instance, at last week’s U.S. Open Wyndham Clark passed Greg Norman on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list. Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm have each made more money on the PGA Tour this season than Faldo made in his career on the European and PGA Tours — combined. So yeah, the financials were already eye-popping when compared with the Tour of two decades past. An influx of new capital would only further that trend.Melton: In a financial sense, yes the Tour is in a better place than ever. In a reputational sense, though? The stock has definitely taken a hit in the last few months. I definitely expect former detractors to follow suit in the months ahead — especially when the checks start coming in.
Nick Faldo - Deep Thinker! The sum and substance of his thoughts seems to be that more money is better than less money.... Noted!
But the source of the money? The negotiated dependence of the Wahabis? Do we think Nick is familiar with the concept of the PGA Tour as a dhimmi? And do we think he's thought through the long-term implications of Saudi control of our game? Not our Sir Mumbles, who doesn't do complexity.
Eamon Lynch is back, and quickly sets his eye on that issue he recently raised, one that in two Q&A's in the TC panel one might have expected to be mentioned:
To dispense with the necessary off the top: any PGA Tour player is welcome to dislike or dispute whatever point he chooses in my work, and for any reason he sees fit. I might even take on board some of the criticisms posted to social media Thursday, though not the monstrous cheap shot about my “fluffy adjectives.” But I write an opinion column, and those opinions don’t require the approval of professional golfers, some of whom seem discomfited by commentary that isn’t affirming and flattering.What irked some was a column critical of Patrick Cantlay, who has been discreetly rallying fellow members against the proposed deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. That Cantlay has profound misgivings about the agreement should be welcomed since it represents a potentially poor settlement for his tour. The basis for his opposition matters, however.
Remember when Jay told us it was about Legacy vs. Leverage? Yup, turns out that was as big a whopper as his concerns about taking Saudi money.... You got us, Jay!
Most elite PGA Tour players aren’t troubled by doing business with the Saudi government, the moral argument never having been a serious consideration. Nor are those opposed to this deal bent on salvaging the reputation of their Tour, which has performed a rhetorical backflip that would be the envy of Simone Biles. A few might still be upset about the secretive process toward the agreement, but even that has largely dissipated. For a handful of key guys, the concern is leverage, as in where can they find it? A deal that takes a competitor off the board, to use Jay Monahan’s words, also takes leverage from players who would no longer have a spendthrift suitor and who’d likely miss the lucrative cash out enjoyed by the soon-to-return LIV guys. Nixing this deal and fashioning an alternative with private equity potentially keeps LIV as a competitor and serves their narrow interests.
That is our Mr. Patrick Cantlay, that terrific penis in the construction of an Alan Shipnuck source..... The only thing that concerns Mr. Cantlay is that his compensation stay at unsupportable levels.
Though I do amuse myself thinking about our Patrick attending a couple of those meetings with private equity sources. See, Patrick, they're in the business of generating returns on investment for their investors, quite a bit different from the objectives of the Saudis. Good news, though, those meetings will be quite short....
But Patrick holds one of the five player seats on that Policy Board and he is now working directly against Jay, so I have laid in a strategic supply of popcorn and advise you to do the same.
Though this is a slightly weird take:
Even without a final agreement, litigation has ended and Saudi money has been normalized. The Tour still faces a Department of Justice investigation and Congressional probes, plus the risk of Saudi investment not materializing. Its legal leverage has been withdrawn, the morality card can’t be played with a straight face, and a green light has been given for corporations and players to kick the tires on LIV for themselves. The Saudis can continue operating LIV if no deal is reached, in which case more top players might opt to jump.In short, the PGA Tour will be worryingly dependent on Saudi good faith in negotiations.
I'm sure we'll be drawing our game theory knowledge to sort through the implications of a deal not being completed, either from the failure to strike a deal, antitrust review or a player revolt (the latter being a low-probability event, methinks).
But I'm thinking their need for Saudi good faith rises exponentially after the deal is completed, because all those assurances of PGA Tour control are based upon.... well, words on paper. even worse, it's words in a non-binding agreement.
Eamon gets one last shot in:
It wasn’t widely noted that deep in the framework document — paragraph 9 of 10 — is a non-disparagement clause, though it seems no one thought it necessary to ask for a non-dismemberment rule. The provision extends beyond the immediate negotiating parties to include “ultimate beneficial owners,” which in PIF’s case is the Saudi government, against which no criticism can be leveled.But hey, it’s better if everyone agrees not to say anything mean.
What have the Saudis ever done to us, Eamon?
We'll have lots more....
Pittenweem Is The New.... - Actually, it's the new Pittenweem, as we will be staying in the same charming fishing village as last year. We leave a week from today, so I hope you'll understand if blogging is on the light side this week.
I will be lugging the laptop and blogging the trip as usual, although it's unclear what exactly I'll blog. Maybe I'll just copy-and-paste last year's content. The trip is virtually identical to last year, a quick surgical strike to the Highlands to see Elsie and John, then two weeks in Pittenweem with golf at Crail and we'll again play the Daily Ballot and hope to play the Old Course again.
I dove into last year's picture to find this one that I remembered, which might indicate w wider array of sea critters on display:
We both remember how loud the seals are, but we'll be on the lookout for the other species, though it'll take a May trip it seems to see the humpbacks....
Have a great 4th of July and I'll catch you later in the week.
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