Mid-Week Musings

Belated apologies for yesterday's unexplained absence, as I was off at Siwanoy with the Met. Golf Writers Association.  You know, business....

The Mighty Kim - Nothing screams Silly Season quite like an Anthony Kim Sighting, and this time the Yeti actually speaks, as in sitting for an interview with someone named AP:

"Golf is a fond memory of mine," Kim said Tuesday, his first interview in three years. "I've been watching more and more. I miss the competition a little bit. Watching these young guys like Jordan Spieth is bringing me back to watch." 

Is it enough to bring him back to play? 

Not yet. Maybe not ever.

I'll take the latter for $50.   Here's more:

He earned just over $12 million in five full seasons on the PGA Tour and says he saved up more money than people realize. The stories and photos on social media over the years painted a wild side to Kim. He doesn't deny he lived different than most golfers, nor will be apologize. 

"If you don't like the way I live, change the channel. You're the one who tuned in here," Kim said. "A lot of the golf public may not appreciate the way I live, which is by my own rules. But I give everyone respect. I'm not rude to anyone. And I treat everyone the same."

I'd put Kim in the same category as John Daly, possessed of great natural gifts but a train wreck of a personality.  Kim blames his injuries, and isn't it funny how that so frequently happens on the wild side...  though that suggestion to change the channel seems apt...consider it done.

 Of Seasons Past and Future - That Spieth kid had a pretty good season, you'll no doubt agree... But you know who else will be in a higher tax bracket this year?  Yup, Michael Greller:

Assuming Greller earned the typical tip, he brought home $1,275,453 in just those last five events where he would be receiving a payout. Add that to his previous earnings up to the Open Championship, and he's brought in a cool $2.14 million this year. Not bad for a caddie!

That squeezes Greller into a tight spot between Russell Henley ($2.11 million) and Phil Mickelson ($2.15 million), 39th on the 2015 PGA Tour money list -- more than 220 other PGA Tour players. When you're making almost as much as Lefty, you're in a good spot.

This item is pretty much a perennial for the lucky caddie whose player wins the $10 mil large, but that guy has rarely had the kind of season that Jordan had.  But the curmudgeon in me notes that  a player that can't earn more than a caddie probably shouldn't be a Prez Cup captain's pick, and I fear they'll earn the same number of points there.

Looking towards 2016 2015-16, Cam Morfit is re-balancing his portfolio in reaction to prevailing market conditions.  He leads with this seemingly non-controversial step:

Tiger Woods -- Sell. This is a no-brainer what with Woods on the shelf again after yet another operation on his balky back. Plus, he’ll turn 40 in December. How long before he gets his speed back now? Sigh.

Cam, I think you misspelled "Dump", but of greater import is that a sale requires a willing buyer... unless you're thinking this a a penny a lot transaction.

But I can't agree more strongly with this:

Rory McIlroy -- Buy. You think he’s going to wreck his ankle playing soccer two years in a row? He looked awesome in winning the WGC-Match Play and Wells Fargo and won’t be too happy about having done so little of consequence during the Summer of Spieth/Day. Rory is due for a rebound.

Especially as Rory seems to be in an every other year mode.  He's gotta be hungry and itching to remind folks that he's still relevant.

Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory -  College golf is on the upswing, combining a great format (team match play) with Golf Channel coverage.  So, what could go wrong?  Well, if you think golf has too many rules, welcome to the bizarro world of the NCAA:

SMU's men's golf team has been banned from postseason play and will incur scholarship

reductions because of "multiple violations" that involved "recruiting and unethical conduct," according to an NCAA report released Sept. 29. 

"The program is disappointed by the news," SMU head coach Jason Enloe told Golfweek. "We have a great group of young men that have had a couple nice runs in the NCAA the last couple of years. We are heartbroken that we won’t have another opportunity." 

The decision handed down by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel means that Bryson DeChambeau, the reigning NCAA champion, will not be able to defend his title in the NCAA Championship on May 27-June 1 in Eugene, Ore.

The violations occurred when Josh Gregory, who resigned in 2014, was the coach.  But as we've seen in the more highly-promoted college sports, the penalties are assessed long after the fact on kids that have no responsibility for the sins of their elders.  Here's what Gregory had to say:

It’s a crushing blow for SMU’s program, which has risen to national prominence in recent years. Two years ago, Gregory helped lead his alma mater to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time, and last year DeChambeau became the first NCAA champion in school history.

“I’m embarrassed about what happened,” said Gregory, who resigned in August 2014. “I feel terrible for the kids – those are the ones I feel worst about. It just makes no sense whatsoever. Throw the book at me and give all the penalties to me, but the kids are the ones who suffer. It’s simply garbage.”

If you're interested in such things, give a listen to this Golf Channel coverage that includes an interview with Josh Gregory.  Not only do the charges sound fairly trivial, but Gregory disputes many of them.  He seems credible to me in acknowledging mistakes and in simply being available to publicly take the heat, but you can decide for yourself.

More importantly, why do we need a massive enforcement regime to protect college golf?  We all understand the sleazy underbelly of college football and basketball, but that's the result of the massive revenue streams to successful programs.  We trust the players to keep their own scorecards, but we have to control when a coach can call a recruit's mother? 

Government, Looking Out For Us - I could write one of these screeds on a daily basis, though a golf tie is a relative rarity.  But today comes word that Lefty will have to stick to his day job:

Phil Mickelson said on Tuesday that he is being excluded from further work on the Torrey Pines North Course renovation that has been based on his company’s three years of preparation and design. 

In a press release, Mickelson said that a pending California Fair Political Practices Commission “ruling” will result in him not being able to work on the project. 

According to Mickelson, “the ruling holds that any person or company that worked on preliminary designs may not participate in the design and/or construction resulting from this Request for Proposal and its ensuing contract.”

I have no particular expertise to evaluate Phil's concept for the project, but you might think that his love of and ties to the venue would be an asset.  You'd be wrong of course, as you failed to consider whose pockets are being lined.

Here's more from Phil:

Noting the doubling of the project budget in his press release, Mickelson said, “My vision was to make Torrey Pines North more environmentally sustainable, more enjoyable for amateurs of all abilities, more challenging for PGA Tour players and we were planning to do it for less than $6 million. The city and Golf Division’s $12.6 million budget is far higher than we expected or intended. 

“It really is unfortunate. San Diegans and visitors deserve a better North Course but they don’t need or want one that costs as much as this one will.”

 Just another shovel-ready rpoject that we'll get to early in the 22nd century.

The Prez Cup, Weirding Me Out - Is their something in the water in South Korea?  I'm as favorably disposed to this event as anyone, as team match play is da' bomb.  

But first we had this bizarrely-androgynous announcement of the attire for the teams, including these outfits for the opening ceremony:

You guys are aware that this isn't the Junior Presidents Cup, right?

And  here are the U.S. team outfits for the four days on competition:

I'm gonna go way out on a limb and speculate that Jay Haas is a fan of grey pants... but, at the risk of courting racism allegations, for some unexplained reason I don't find those four guys particularly convincing as, you know, Americans.  

Then comes this really bizarre promo, featuring similarly androgynous avatars:

We'll just call it The Metrosexual Open.