Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Tuesday Catch-Up - Arctic Blast Edition

Thanks for your patience with my absence.  I've had one great day at Snowbasin and one tough day at Alta with my nephew, and no clue what awaits today.  The high for the day is forecast to be 9 degrees, with winds of 20+ mph (I won't depress myself with the potential gusts).  But there's 10 inches of fresh reported as of 5:30 a.m., and it should keep snowing most of the day.  Frostbite vs. freshies.... what's a fellow to do?

Just gonna do a drive-by on a handful of recent stories, and we'll resume regular blogging later in the week.

The Match, Distaff Edition - I saw some of the early bits:

The Match 9 takeaways: Fun had by (almost) all, Rory comes up clutch and Rose almost gets taken out

The ninth iteration of The Match was already running a little long. Then, after Rose Zhang poured in a short birdie putt to tie Max Homa on the 12th and final hole of the evening, it was about to run a little bit longer.

All it took after that, though, was one short wedge shot from Rory McIlroy, who locked up the skins game title by hitting one to two feet at The Park in West Palm's par-5 18th. Below are our takeaways from a night where fun was had by (almost) all.

It did seem that they are maybe figuring this thing out, though it was perhaps less about Max and more about Charles and Christina...

Fun was had by (almost) all

During every one of these made-for-TV affairs, the usual suspects have to make it known that THEY AREN'T WATCHING. But because of the venue, more hardcore golf fans tuned in, and then they went after someone on the broadcast rather than the broadcast's existence itself—DJ Khaled. "Who is he?" and "Why is he here?" they cried. To have fun. To make people smile. To bring in some eyeballs that would otherwise NEVER watch golf and are now tuned in on a freaking Monday night in primetime. It's really not that deep, people. Add in Paul Bissonnette, AKA Biz, and you had a pair of electric personalities doing their best to bring some much-needed energy to the evening. As McIlroy said in the pre-Match press conference, these things are about experimenting and trying new things. Playing under the lights, having DJ Khaled and Biz team up in a cart, one-club challenges, etc. It's not the Masters and nor does it have to be. And I promise you, this April, you will still have your Masters. On Monday night, Feb. 26, it's OK to experiment.

The problem with the sycophantic press is that they're not smart enough to protect their own credibility.  The tenor was amusing, heck even Lexi got into the spirit of things and was engagingly self-effacing.  But those two guys I'd never heard of were crack-the-cyanide capsule painful, and I'm not the only one that thought so:

And loud and unfunny, always a great combo platter.

More under the lights, more LPGA/PGA Tour crossovers

As McIlroy said, these matches are little "labs" to experiment with. Clearly, the under the lights experiment is working. The visuals are very tough to beat and this match in particular was so well lit you could follow the ball all the way through the night sky to the point it first landed. This time of year at night in Florida is also as peak weather as it gets. As for the competitors, the LPGA-PGA Tour crossover might need to be the move going forward. I've never been a hater of the NFL/NBA players, but the golf is not exactly quality. People want to see very good golf shots at very good courses, and this edition of The Match checked both those boxes.

I think what we've found from these things is that the PGA players alone don't provide a reason enough to tune in, and the amateurs alone weren't any better.  But mix the familiar Tour pros with something different, think Phil coaching Charles Barkley, and it can work.  

And I also love the one-club challenge, but don't at all get why the can't use the same one-club, especially since their bags (at least comparing the men and ladies) are constructed so differently, that the confusion as to whether Rose could use a 4-hybrid when Lexi had chosen a 4-iron seems so unnecessary....  But that half-5-wood Rory hit might have been the most interesting swing of the night (said having only seen half of the event).

Good on them for amusing us a bit on a dark winter night, and for giving a couple of the ladies a showcase.  Just one nagging question.... I had been reliably informed that golf is a global game, so why the four Yanks?  Just kidding, we all know the answer.

But we can all agree this isn't the direction they should go:

Haven't we suffered enough already?

A.K., The Man, The Myth, The Belt Buckle - You've heard the news by now:

So, Anthony Kim is going to play tournament golf again, the LIV Golf way. That is, payment up front. For more than a decade now, Kim has been paid, by an insurance company, not to play.

This week, at a LIV event in Saudi Arabia, Kim will start a new chapter of his enigmatic life.

Good luck, kid.

Excuse me, this just in: He’s 38.

Well, good luck, Mr. Kim.

To give this news the gravitas it doesn’t deserve, GOLF.com reported on Jan. 25 that Kim was considering a return to tournament golf. Word of Kim’s Saudi start first surfaced on X over the weekend by way of @FlushingIt and @LIVGolfUpdates, and soon after Golf Channel reporter Rex Hoggard, as well-sourced as anybody covering the professional game today, gave the news more credibility with a story citing unnamed sources. LIV still hasn’t officially confirmed that Kim is in the Jeddah field, but on Monday morning, it came awfully close, dropping a moody teaser video that showed images of Kim hitting shots against a desertscape. Greg Norman and his people must have made it worth Kim’s while to sign with LIV — for how many appearances we don’t know — just as they did for various other golfers with familiar names and past-post games.

Golf's Yeti is returning after more than a decade of hibernation, and the geniuses of LIV have decided to hold that coming out party in.....checking notes, Jeddah?  Wow, those are some serious public relations chops on display.... Or, perhaps they know more about the state of AK's game than we do.

But it's quite the mellifluous melding of personality and forum, a guy who may not remember which end of the club to grasp with the ultimate golf circus sideshow.... But this is a pretty cutting jibe, no?

In his early 20s, Kim was a spectacular talent. There was something galvanizing about him, thisdiminutive kid choking up on the driver and killing it with a long, flowing follow-through. He was so light on his feet, like a lightweight boxer, and he had so much speed with every club, plus the flying mullet at impact. He was Brooks Koepka before there was a Brooks Koepka, but Kim seemed to take himself much less seriously. He was refreshingly outside the country-club system, and he could shoot 66 on a hard course and make it look easy, fun and meaningless.

Ummmm, didn't see this coming, but I feel compelled to defend Brooksie.  I mean, there were those four majors in three seasons, whereas AK was all sizzle and little steak.  I get why he intrigued folks, but a pretty wide chasm in the potential vs. actual results comparison, no?

This week's Tour Confidential panel devoted as much time to the actual PGA Tour event in Mexico as I will, but they were all over this story:

1. According to Golf Channel, Anthony Kim will play in LIV Golf’s Saudi Arabia event this week, which would mark his first professional start in more than a decade. We reported last month that Kim was mulling a return to either the PGA Tour or LIV Golf, and now, it appears, Kim has made his decision. Does LIV feel like the right landing place for him?

Right place?  heck, it's a marriage made in heaven....

Josh Sens: Seems like an easy decision for Kim. Safe and sensible. So much so that I can’t imagine he really gave the PGA Tour much serious consideration. The route he has chosen is essentially a free roll. Guaranteed money. If he plays well, it’s heroic. If he struggles, he has a good excuse.

Jack Hirsh: I agree with Sens. Kim will likely at least be getting the value of his insurance policy (reportedly $10 million) upfront. Do I think he wants to fly all the way to Saudi Arabia to go back to competitive golf? It’s interesting, to say the least. For LIV it’s a no-brainer because, at least for this week’s event and its next U.S. event (the week before the Masters in Miami), lots of golf fans will no doubt tune in to see the man who has become something of a mythical figure in the game. The timing is questionable given that LIV’s next two events are both in Asia, meaning the broadcasts will either be in the wee hours of the morning or on tape delay in other major markets.

Sean Zak: This is gonna sell some tickets in Miami. You can bet on that. In fact, I LOVE the comeback starting in Saudi Arabia. Golf fans in the States will wake up to his scores every morning. And where can they watch highlights? LIV’s YouTube channel. LIV’s social feeds. Two weeks abroad, then back to Miami, which has probably been the most comfy location for LIV to date. All of that one week before Augusta. It checks out more than people will give credit to.

Jack, it all depends on the meaning of "lots"....

Sean, are you saying that LIV has given up on anyone watching their painful broadcasts, and now it's a "W" if they catch a swing or two of highlights on YouTube?  Did the CW get the memo?

Has anyone thought through what happens if he shoots in the mid-80's?  There's an old Wall Street adage that you buy on the rumor and sell on the fact, which could well apply here.  There's pent up interest, but that can only be sustained if the guy can still play.

2. All these years later, what’s your read on Kim’s Q rating and the kind of impact he potentially could have on drawing attention and eyeballs to LIV?

Eyeballs, plural?  Given that Phil, Cam and Rahmbo haven't delivered on that, it's quite the big ask...

Sens: I’d expect the curiosity factor to draw a lot of eyeballs to begin with. How can you not want to see how he fares after such a long layoff and all the questions that surrounded him? But unless he plays great — which seems unlikely — I suspect the interest will be short-lived. Some stories are more compelling when they remain a mystery.

Hirsh: I mentioned this above, but at least for his first rounds, I’m willing to bank on LIV drawing some fairly good ratings, but they’ll be hurt by the time differences. If Kim plays well in Jeddah and Hong Kong, LIV Miami could provide some serious competition to the PGA Tour’s Texas Open the week before the Masters.

Zak: He’ll be the talk of Twitter this week. What is that actually worth? It’s more than the other wildcard players on LIV are doing. Which makes him worth another drop-in-the-bucket bunch of money.

Yes, this creates some buzz, but am I the only one that sees downside here?  Well, there's this one other guy:

Lynch: A second coming of Anthony Kim would mesmerize his cult, but it wouldn’t save LIV Golf or the PGA Tour

This is actually an Eamon Lynch piece originally posted in late January before he opted into LIV, which we excerpted back then.  So, peruse it at your pleasure.

But the larger issue, to this observer, is how it plays into the big picture.  I've been calling LIV a circus sideshow since it booted up, and isn't this the moral equivalent of landing the tattooed lady for said sideshow?

Now think about all the caterwauling about how they deserve OWGR points?  Nothing says we're a totally legit professional tour quite like hiring a guy because of his flashy belt buckle.... The Match with Lexi and Rose was more credible.

Charley - Did someone mention guys posting in the mid-80's?  A bit of a predictably ugly scene, unfortunately:

Charlie Woods, in a bid to play in his first PGA Tour event, reportedly encountered more than a par-70 golf course.

According to a Palm Beach Post story written by Emilee Smarr, the 15-year-old son of 15-time major winner Tiger Woods played through multiple incidents of unruly fan behavior on Thursday during a Cognizant Classic pre-qualifier at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. Among them:

— Fans walked alongside Woods on the fairway, ignoring requests from tournament officials to stay on the cart path. They prompted one fan to ask an official: “Who are you? The fire marshal?”

— A grandmother admitted to pulling her granddaughter out of school in the hopes of Woods noticing her;

— A fan asked Woods if he would sign How I Play Golf, a book written by his father, after he walked off the 12th green. When an official denied the fan, the fan yelled, and as Woods teed off on the 13th hole, the fan shouted: “I live here.”

— Fans pursued a Woods ball hit out of bounds and into bushes and palm trees.

The Father-Son event is able to provide a protective cocoon, but that can only be extended so far.... But as for that Grandma, was she not consuming news around Thanksgiving 2009?   I mean, if you believe the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree, is that what you wish for your granddaughter?  Of course, I'm setting aside the fact that most 15-year old boys aren't in the market for a wife just yet, at least not this side of Jeddah (that's two world-class segues for those keeping a scorecard at home).

The TC gang had thoughts as well:

3. Charlie Woods shot 86 in a Cognizant Classic pre-qualifier — the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event he’s entered — to miss out on qualifying for next week’s event at PGA
National. A 12 and a couple of other big numbers derailed his round, which was reportedly marred by unruly fan behavior. Charlie’s play led to much discussion online about what is the appropriate amount of attention — from fans, media and spectators in attendance — to focus on a 15-year-old’s competitive pursuits, even if his father does happen to be the world’s most famous golfer. What’s your read?

Sens: All the buzz around Charlie Woods has been entirely unsurprising. But that hasn’t made it any less cringey, as the kids say. It feels cheap and voyeuristic but also in keeping with our sports/celebrity-obsessed culture. It reminds me of what the Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic said when he was asked what he thought about fans’ fascination with knowing every wrinkle of his life. He said he thought it was ‘sad.’

Hirsh: He obviously has talent. Playing in a PGA Tour Pre-Q at 15 is impressive no matter how you slice it. Getting those kinds of competitive reps is invaluable. We know he’s put up some good scores. I think most people realize it’s unfair to put the expectations his father had on him, but at the same time, the interest might be just as great. I’m hesitant to show much interest in Charlie because the chance of him earning his PGA Tour card in the next five years is probably the same as him deciding he doesn’t want to play golf at all. I don’t think a crowd of 50 following him at a qualifier is outrageous, but what is outrageous is grandparents pulling their granddaughters out of school in hopes of him going out with them. Same goes for asking him for autographs while he was playing. It’s interesting because LeBron James’ kids didn’t have the same level of pandemonium at their high school events. I think when he wins something big or tries to play at the pro level, it’s certainly newsworthy, but he still needs to be treated like a human. Other than that, let the teenager live his life.

Zak: My read is that this is exactly how society typically acts. He’s marketable because of his last name, so people flock to him. Unfortunately, he hasn’t asked for any of that attention, nor has he deserved it. So it’ll feel pretty angsty online whenever he plays another high-level tournament. But that’s the online world for ya.

Sad is as good a reaction as any.... Of course the fan interest is to be expected, they're just supposed to be there to watch, not become the story themselves.  But perhaps they watched all those Live Under Par™ commercials...

I don't have extensive qualifications on the parenting thing, but have mixed feelings about having Charlie try to qualify.  I certainly understand the value of the opportunity competitively, any young player needs the failures as part of the development process.  But this particular 15-year old will never be able to develop in anonymity, so I'm left wondering if this was necessary and/or helpful.  

Included in the linked piece above is this description of Charlie's appearances in junior events:

During one of the tournament rounds, Harbeck was chatting with Charlie on the 8th hole, a straight-away par-5 lined by condos down the right side. “I look up,” Harbeck recalled, “and I’m
watching all these doors to the condos opening up and all these people come out because they knew he was there.” On the second day, after inclement weather had suspended play, more than a hundred players, coaches, spectators and members took shelter in the clubhouse. Harbeck gathered his team at an out-of-the-way corner table, but Charlie still was sought out for pictures and autographs. Fans flock to Charlie on the course, too. At one event, an armada of 30 golf carts awaited him on the first tee.

At another match, Harbeck said a couple of photographers tried to access the course but because Harbeck didn’t know them, he turned them away. At public-course host sites, paparazzi wrangling is trickier. “You can’t stop anyone from coming, and if Tiger’s there, it’s crazier,” Harbeck said. “Trust me, there are people in trees taking pictures. Microphones in his face.” After the first couple of weeks of the season, Harbeck learned to alert host sites in advance of the interest that Charlie stirs up, which he said led to some courses beefing up their security.

That's just how it's gonna be for him.....  Given this undue scrutiny and interference, he should perhaps consider doing an AK and just jumping into LIV, no?

As indicated above, that'll be it for today.  I'll catch you later in the week. 

  
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