Weekend Wrap - Open Week Edition

 Hope everyone had a great weekend, as we have received clearance to land at Pinehurst....

Scottie, Still Good At Golf - For those thinking that fatherhood might derail SchefflerFor those thinking that fatherhood might derail Scheffler, you might want to work through your longshot picks for this week:

When Scottie Scheffler arrived at the 72nd green at the Memorial Tournament Sunday, he didn’t just have the game’s most prolific major champion watching him.

He also had his wife and son, watching him finish up a victory together for the first time.

Coming to the final hole up by just one shot over Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler completed the par save on 18 by drilling a five-foot par putt before Morikawa even had a chance to make his to post eight under and win the Memorial Tournament with host Jack Nicklaus looking on.

It’s Scheffler’s fifth win of the season, but first since the birth of his first child, Bennett, last month. After missing his last two victories at the Masters and RBC Heritage, Meredith was right on the 18th green with Bennett in hand to watch the win.

And it's the first instance in some time in which the noted hothead got through an entire tournament week without a mug shot...

We'll see if they got any eyeballs when the ratings are released, but in this case they should have no complaints about the names on the leaderboard, though they still didn't put on the kind of show they need.  It did work as a U.S. Open warm-up, as there was much grinding involved, but kind of a desultory feel to the final round, at least in my opinion.

Normally, winning the week before a major makes me less inclined towards a guy's chances, but it's a different calculus when the guy wins every time he pegs it.

You'd have to have a heart of stone to not enjoy a scene like this: 

The Scheffler's celebrating the win ❤️ pic.twitter.com/MSjcTrGgKF

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) June 9, 2024

Given that CBS gets just about everything wrong, that extraneous quotation mark makes perfect sense.

Scheffler with a bi of an explainer as to why the course played so difficult:

“I think the wind was up and it was from a direction where the downwind holes, it almost doesn’t really help,” Scheffler said. “The firmness of this greens make this golf course so difficult because the areas are already so small, and then when you get the wind up and the greens firm, it’s almost impossible sometimes to hit the ball in the right area.”

Thanks for confirming what I've always known, that downwind can play harder than into the wind, certainly with wedges and shorter clubs.  For us, it's because if we mishit even slightly, the added spin on the ball will cause the wind to knock it out of the air.   Of course, the buried lede is that Scottie wouldn't know about imperfect contact....

The Tour Confidential panelTour Confidential panel had thoughts on the Texan (who was actually born in New Jersey):

1. Scottie Scheffler won the Memorial on Sunday, his fifth win of 2024, the first to do that by this point of the season since 1980. Now he heads to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 once again as the heavy betting favorite. Despite his success, should there be any hesitation in picking him since he’s never won a major outside of Augusta National?

Jessica Marksbury: It feels impossible to bet against Scottie Scheffler these days. I’m struggling

to find any metric that would deter me from picking him as a favorite. Golf is fickle, anyone can have a bad day at any given time, but Scheffler’s consistency is one of his most impressive stats. He hasn’t missed a cut in nearly two years. He hasn’t finished outside the top 17 since last August. Prior to the Memorial, his last seven tournaments included four wins, two runner-ups and a T8 at the PGA — after he was arrested. Is there any stopping this guy? I think not!

Josh Sens: The horses for courses thing does not apply to Scheffler. His game is so complete, it can travel anywhere. It’s just a matter of time before he wins a major other than the Masters. The oddsmakers have it right to have him the runaway favorite here.

Jonathan Wall: Anyone who hesitates to select Scottie to win a major on any course should be admitted to a psychiatric ward. As Josh said, his game travels. I hate picking the chalk at a major, but I can’t see anyone chasing him down at Pinehurst.

As many have noted, this heater (though that could be a serious misnomer) can be compared only to one man, that Tiger guy.  He'll have to keep it up for a decade or so, but he has separated himself from the chase pack to an extent we haven't see since the aughts.

As a companion piece to Scheffler's young family above, this is pretty sweet as well:

'First lady of golf' Barbara Nicklaus named 2025 Memorial Tournament honoree

The first lady of golf has been named the 2025 Memorial Tournament honoree for the 50th playing of the event at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Barbara Nicklaus, wife of Jack Nicklaus, will be honored with the annual Captains Club award at next year’s tournament. She is the first non-golfer among 84 prior recipients.

“This honor is so incredibly special to me, and I can’t thank the Captains Club enough for thinking of me,” Barbara said in a statement, adding that she was overcome with emotion when receiving the news.

“The Memorial Tournament has held such a special place in our family’s life,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to walk side-by-side with Jack and to watch his dream become our reality over the years. Looking back at the list of those who have been honored since 1976, I can’t express how humbled I am to join this elite group that I have looked up to and respected for so long.”

 Now, Barbara, any chance you could work on getting us a full field in '25?

Pinehurst On Our Minds - Alas, I don't have as much time as I'd like, but Geoff has this from on site:

The 124th U.S. Open is here and Pinehurst No. 2 looks incredible.

More mature and lush than in 2014 when the sandy native areas were still maturing, the course has benefitted from time, brilliant care, no play in almost a month and some recent rains. Leading

into the last U.S. Open, Pinehurst experienced only one torrential storm in early May dropping 3.75 inches that served as more of a washout than a nourishing rinse. This led to a firm, fast but inconsistent course. Aesthetically, there is no comparison to what you’ll see this week.

While the course might be a touch softer going into the week than last time, Sunday showed how No. 2 only needs some sun and breeze to dry things. Forecasted rain for Sunday evening—and looking ominous on the radar as I sent The Quad to the printing press—could change things a bit depending on how much rain drops on No. 2.

Your first look since 2014 at the ubiquitous wire plants throughout the waste areas.... 

Back to the TC gang:

2. Pinehurst No. 2 will play a major role in U.S. Opens going forward, as it was the first official “anchor site” of golf’s national championship. We haven’t seen it host the top pros since 2014. For the uninformed, how different is the Donald Ross design compared to more recent major stops, and what kind of player/game bodes well here?

Marksbury: One thing that struck me when I had the chance to play Pinehurst was how difficult

it was to lose a ball. You can find — and play! — a ball from just about anywhere. (A great boon for us recreational players!) But even at the pro level, I think that will be helpful for the longer guys who tend to spray it a bit, because the penalty is minimal compared to other courses. The green complexes are where the course really shows its teeth, so I’m betting on the guys with serious short-game prowess to rise to the top.

Sens: Green complexes are tough at most US Open venues. But the turtlebacks at Pinehurst are especially demanding. There’s a reason they joke that at Pinehurst, they don’t track greens in regulation They track greens visited in regulation. They’re not just hard to hit. They’re hard to hold. Miss your spot and bye bye. There’s no rough on No. 2, so that’s another huge difference. But there are tons of sandy wastes with clumps of native grass that can cause all kinds of misery, so you can’t just hit it anywhere off the tee.. A sharp short game is crucial in any major. But distance control is going to be crucial on approaches, so if I were crunching stats for office pool purposes, I’d be looking closely at the iron game.

My caddie referred to it as a "Pitch mark in regulation", but the effective size of these greens is maybe a quarter of their nominal size due to the contours and run-offs.

I don't know about tagging short-game prowess, though, because my recollection of 2014 is that they putted everything within twenty yards of the greens.  So, Hovland?

And this obligatory question:

3. What about Tiger Woods? Do you see his first U.S. Open appearance in four years going any better than his other major starts this year (60th Masters, missed cut PGA)?

Marksbury: Tiger’s recent performances have shown us that he still has all the shots. What he’s lacking is four-round stamina, and reps. Pinehurst is a gentle walk, and I think that bodes well for Tiger. I expect him to make the cut, and improve upon his Masters finish too, though I doubt he will actually contend.

Sens. I’m with you, Jess. As at Augusta, he will be able to rely on his guts and guile but without the painfully hilly walk. I could see his short game–and his mental game– keeping him around for the weekend. And maybe even in the mix.

Wall: Making it 72 holes would be an accomplishment. We’ve seen Tiger grind for the weekend at majors, but he tends to run out of gas before the final round. I don’t see things changing this week unless he wants to increase the pre-major tournament reps.

Might be time to move on, folks.

4. Bryson DeChambeau has been LIV’s best major performer this year, tying for sixth at the Masters and taking runner-up honors at the PGA Championship. Do you see that trend continuing at Pinehurst?

Marksbury: Pinehurst seems like a great fit for Bryson. It’s also been fun to observe what seems like a renewed lightness of spirit in him. He looks like he’s thoroughly enjoying his role as an entertainer, which is probably making his golf better too.

Sens: Bryson does seem in a great place both mentally and physically. My guess is that Pinehurst is not the kind of course that he will be able to bend as easily to his will with his power, at least not as he did at Valhalla. But we already know he’s got US Open-winning game. Hard not to rank him among the top 5 prospects heading into the week.

Wall: I can’t name another LIV pro I’d take over Bryson. Brooks Koepka has the major championship pedigree and knows how to deal with the ups and downs of a U.S. Open, but it’s difficult to predict which Koepka will show up. Recency bias makes Bryson the obvious choice.

Bryson seems have regained his confidence, but there's another LIVster of greater interest these days, at least to your humble blogger.  One answer concurs:

5. What’s the U.S. Open storyline that should be on everyone’s radar?

Marksbury: I’m looking forward to seeing some potential next-gen rivalries in action. In addition to Scottie’s dominance, we have players like newly-minted major champ Xander Schauffele and two-time major winner Collin Morikawa seemingly peaking all at the same time. This should be a barn-burner of a major, and hopefully, a glimpse of golf’s future.

Sens: Which Jon Rahm will we see. The world beater of years past? Or the sullen underperformer of 2024? He just pulled out of a LIV event this week, citing an injury. But physical issues aside, he has seemed to be in a battle with himself since joining LIV. An interesting case study in psychology, as golf so often is.

Wall: Can Xander keep his incredible run at the majors alive? As stats guru Justin Ray mentioned recently on social media, X is the first pro to begin his U.S. Open career with 7 straight top-15 finishes since Bobby Jones (11 straight, 1920-30). It’s an absurd stat highlighting his incredible consistency at golf’s most grueling major test. We knew he had the game to contend, but his breakthrough at Valhalla proves he can close the deal. Now it’s time to see if he has what it takes to become a multi-time major winner. If anyone will knock Scottie off the throne, it’s Xander.

As for the Spaniard, you might have heard:

Five days before the start of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, Jon Rahm had to withdraw fro

m the LIV Golf event in Houston with a foot injury. Limping slightly during his first-round 69 on Friday at the Golf Club of Houston, Rahm played six holes on Saturday before deciding to withdraw. LIV Golf posted a video on X confirming the WD and showing Rahm shaking hands with his group before leaving the course.

The withdrawal may very well have been precautionary for Rahm, the 2021 U.S. Open champion at Torrey Pines. The 29-year-old reportedly was dealing with a cut or cuts between his toes.

Doesn't sound like anything that will keep him out of the Open, though he looks miserable and is playing like he looks....

This guy actually got in to extend his streak of appearances, though there's a weird aspect to it all:

Six years later, Scott was left in limbo when he was beaten in a sudden-death playoff at U.S. Open qualifying last week by fellow Australian, Cam Davis. After three extra holes, Davis bagged the last of four spots given to the Springfield, Ohio, site. That meant Scott, who was not in this week’s signature event at the Memorial Tournament and couldn’t improve his world ranking, had to wait to see if his number projected high enough to scrape through on the OWGR deadline of June 10, or rely on the USGA to select him as first alternate from the Springfield site.

At World No. 61, Scott narrowly secured his Pinehurst start when the USGA said it was prepared to remove Grayson Murray, who passed away last month, from its ranking criteria if it were to affect any player who might have qualified via the top 60 category.

That means 43-year-old Scott, who will tee up in his 92nd consecutive major, will keep alive golf’s longest active streak in the majors, having played every championship since the 2001 Open at Royal Lytham. Scott, after traveling to New York last week for a meeting between representatives of the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, headed to North Carolina to begin preparations for the U.S. Open. He has already played two practice rounds at Pinehurst No. 2.

Creepy, but life goes on....  Maybe the funniest bit is that Scott wasn't in the field at Jack's place, which perhaps might affect his opinion on optimal field size?  Nah, who am I kidding, he'll do whatever Cantlay needs him to do to keep his seat at the cool kids table.

But, please do remember, that the most important events on the PGA Tour don't have room for the 61st best player in the world....  So, really, how important can they be?

Wither Professional Golf - It seems there's a bit of a change in the background music, as if there might be some kind of deal after all.  That Friday meeting referenced above led to this:

Progress was made Friday in New York when representatives of the PGA Tour and the Public

Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia met for three hours in their first face-to-face negotiations in nearly three months. At least that was claimed in a statement released Saturday morning on behalf of the PGA Tour Enterprises transaction subcommittee.

How much progress and on which terms was not divulged in a carefully worded and vague update. The meeting took place one day after the one-year anniversary of the framework agreement announced by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. It followed up reports on the issuance of term sheets the sides exchanged some time last month.

The other interesting aspect that I saw elsewhere is that apparently term sheets were exchanged in advance of last year's June 6th bombshell, but that in a rush to announcer they were abandoned and the Framework Agreement included precious few specifics.

But while Jon Rahm might end up happy, the PGA's rank and file are, shall we say, not over the moon wit things:

Not everyone is fond of the signature event structure that was implemented this season on the PGA Tour. Just ask veteran pro Nate Lashley, who pointed the blame directly at Commissioner Jay Monahan.

“Our No. 1 event is the Players and it’s a 144-man field. If that’s the best field all year, then why are these signature events that are supposed to be so good 70 (man fields)? It makes no sense,” Lashley said at the RBC Canadian Open last Saturday after making the cut. “Look at how good the Players was this year. When you have more competition, things stay tighter, more compact. When you’ve got fields with no cuts it spreads things out.

“But we have a commissioner who is a chicken shit and won’t stand up to a handful of guys, that’s what happens. You can’t tell me finishing top 10 in a limited field is similar to a 144- or 156-man field. It’s not even close. There’s no comparison. This is way harder.”

Nate, you ignorant slut.  You just don't understand that we can't grow the game unless Patrick gets paid....

And not just Nate:

Count Mark Hubbard among the pros frustrated with the way the signature events are set up.

“It’s obviously set up to let in as few people as possible,” he argued. “They made the AON 10 and Swing 5 categories seem so dreamy but they didn’t tell us that the winner’s category was behind it and the world top 30 category was behind it. I think eight of the 10 (into the Memorial) would otherwise be exempt.” Lashley said he thought he should’ve been in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first signature event that the lists were used for, off of his good play but was surprised to find that Matthieu Pavon, the winner of the Farmers Insurance Open, was counted in the Aon 5 and bounced him out of the field.

As I've noted since that Delaware meeting, it's a coup by the elite players, whose objective is clearly to not share any of the spoils.  Of course, they had to head off the criticism of the exclusivity, so they created these qualification metrics that would dribble in a guy or two.

Even this guy agrees. but don't be impressed by his title, he has no actual vote (or influence)

Kevin Streelman, a member of the Player Advisory Council, didn’t disagree with Hubbard and Lashley’s assessment of the field size for the signature events needing to be revisited.

“It’s the stupidest thing we’ve ever done,” said Streelman of 70-man fields with no cut or a limited one at three of the events. He’s of the belief that 120-man fields are the right size for these elevated events.

“I’d say we’re diligently working to try to appease the top players, our marketing partners, our fans and the integrity of the Tour and their competitions to deliver the greatest product and highlight the best players week after week. I don’t love the way it looks right now but that doesn’t mean much anyway since I’m not an elected board member. If our fans love 70-player signature events 8-10 times a year, then have at it,” he said.

Except that they suck.  Oh, and the historical precedent, the WGC's, also sucked so badly that they no longer exist.  But by all means tell us what we want, as you're repelling your audience.

There's way more in there, including a hot take on those sponsors' exemptions.... The kids aren't happy, tough they've nowhere to turn.

That's it for today, kids.  It should be a great week, though I've a small piece of bad news.  A golf invite for tomorrow will prewclude blogging, and with the Wednesday Game™, I will likely not see you until Thursday.  have a great week.