Midweek Musings

Did you even notice my absence for the last two days?  Travel and some family obligations got in the way, but now I'm all yours.  At least for the next hour...

Scenes From The Desert - While all eyes were on the marque group of Spieth-McIlroy-Fowler, the mad scientist snuck up on them:

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Bryson DeChambeau was still in high

school when he told his father: "I think I can change the game of golf."

On Thursday, he was comparing his trailblazing qualities to those of Albert Einstein and George Washington, and calling himself "The Golf Scientist."

One thing's for sure about the 22-year-old DeChambeau, he isn't lacking in confidence.

And he's got the game to back it up. 

DeChambeau shot an 8-under 64 at the Abu Dhabi Championship to take the first-round lead in what might be the strongest field in a European Tour event this year. Not bad for an amateur making only his seventh start in a professional tournament, and his first on the regular European Tour - through an invitation.

Just a quick reminder that he's still an amateur, but he's certainly acquitted himself well when playing against those  play for pay.  As Snowmageddon heads our way, set your DVRs and buckle in.

As we covered a few months back, new Euro Tour majordomo Keith Pelley has declared the moral equivalent of war on slow play.  Towards that end, that marquee group was put on the clock and World No. One was assessed a "monitoring penalty".

We'll award Mr. Pelley 3 1/2 stars for effort, but no stars for implementation, as the penalty was $2,800.00.  I don't even need to finish the thought, as the astute reader (and that's the only kind we have here) realizes that you can't hurt these lads with fines.  As a secondary thought, none of the players in that grouping are slowpokes, so I suspect something else was going on...

Shark Leavings - By now I assume you've traversed the first five stages of grief, and are beginning to see life as still worth living despite not having The Shark to kick around any longer.  But, as that annoying redhead noted, the sun will come out tomorrow.... OK< not literally tomorrow because of that Noreaster, don't be so technical with me...

The Shark himself posted this on Instagram, almost as insidious as the above song lyric:

#MondayMorningMotivator "Over the years, I’ve learned that no business can stand still. There are always changes in ownership and personnel, and invariably challenges with keeping your product or service relevant and in-demand. The reality is that businesses change, they evolve. We are going to keep moving – just like a shark.”

We get it, Greg.  A shark....so, you're not just a bare-chested living brand!

But Shack reminded us of an early indicator that we ignored:

Because to be honest with you, I never watch golf. I really didn’t because I thought it was kind of boring. And the presentation was boring. So now that we have Fox on board, we are…I am really looking forward to it and I know golf is really excited about it."

Golf has gotten over it, but that was an early tell.  Nothing like trashing a product that you don't sample, then mailing it in when you get your chance.

As Shack reminds, Norman was hired before producer Mark Loomis, effectively tying the latter's hands.  Fox and Loomis deserve credit for cutting their losses, but as I noted in the prior post, it's not even clear that Norman was the biggest problem.

For reasons that escape me, Jaime Diaz offers five options for Fox to replace Norman...  This is curious because we know who the replacement will be, and of course he's No. 1 on Jaime's list.  This list of criteria is unobjectionable, though a tad generic:

• Golf knowledge, the deeper the better.

• First hand experience, preferably including having won the major championship being covered, ideally multiple times. Along with a corresponding willingness and ability to pull generously from career-wide experiences to recount the kind of anecdotes that bring a deeper understanding to big moments.

• Candor, for which the simplest litmus test would be describing a badly pulled miss from six feet not as a safe, protect-the-player-misread, but as a nervous stroke.

• Original thinking, facilitated by intuition and spontaneity, and demonstrates the confidence and courage to posit something fresh.

• A pleasing delivery, with humor as the ultimate bonus, but which is ultimately measured by concision, a conversational style that includes the ability to converse, and a genuine empathy for the difficulty of competitive golf.

His first two choices are Zinger and Brandel Chamblee, which are as obvious as they are predictable. Ummm, but see how you react to No.3:

3. JACK NICKLAUS

Ultimate credibility. In the tradition of Bobby Jones, his willingness to open his unmatched competitive mind and position as GOAT makes him the game’s most compelling explainer. He’s always enjoyed give and take interview sessions with the media, and that much more as he grown older. The question is, at age 76, has his energy and most crucially, his interest, waned to the point that the job would be a chore. But if he were called in only for the U.S. Open broadcast, Nicklaus would do what he always does in big moments – come through.

Jaime, you ignorant slut.  Seriously, where does one start?

Much as I hate to criticize a man on his birthday (Happy 76th, Jack) and as much as I love the man, ABC used him as a commentator way back when and he just wasn't very good.  His voice is not TV-friendly and his commentary was quite anodyne, what Greg Norman would call boring.

Plus Fox needs to build a team, and they need to work together repeatedly, not have a tribal elder there for just the one event.  

A Short Story -  First came this story from a land far far away:

You have to love players willing to bare all for the sake of their sport. So get ready to see

a lot more skin on this year’s European Tour. 

Actually, make that men baring their legs. 

The European Tour looks set to continue the rule set in Kuala Lumpur last week allowing players to practice in shorts during the EurAsia Cup. European captain Darren Clarke petitioned the Tour last week to allow his players to wear shorts in the oppressive humidity of Kuala Lumpur. 

EurAsia Cup tournament director David Garland initially turned down the Ryder Cup captain’s request. The Northern Irishman appealed to European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley, and Pelley agreed to let the players wear shorts in practice as long as they wore long trousers during the match.

 Then this marginally influential chap stuck his nose into the matter:

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Jordan Spieth says the PGA Tour should take a cue from its European counterpart and allow players to wear shorts. 

“I think it’s awesome,” Spieth said Wednesday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, responding to the European Tour’s relaxed dress code during tournament practice rounds and pro-ams. "It will be something that I would love to see on the PGA Tour, as well. I’ve not heard one person complain about it."

I believe that this Instagram will settle the matter quickly:

Need I say more?  Actually, I needn't, because Geoff did:

Pro golfers wearing pants has nothing to do with tradition and everything to do with aesthetics.

When you're at a pro golf event and you hear spikes, you will turn to find a well-dressed, pressed and fitted person probably clad in one-too-many logos. But you'll also have no doubt you are seeing a professional in his/her arena. A gladiator of sorts, in their arena. One that we have paid to come see perform. 

Athletes should stand out and look impressive. They shouldn't dress look like the rest of us. Pants on a golfer, for whatever reason, add a certain gravitas. Golfers wearing shorts have no chance of standing out and, contrary to claims, do not appear to be more athletic by exposing their legs. Instead, they look like they're late for their 1:20 tee time at any old course, not The Old Course. 

So while I certainly can respect the view that it's time to push aside the pant aesthetic, I can't agree that demands by administrators to wear them has anything to do with tradition. It is, as the kids say, what it is. We just know class when we see it. This isn't classy or particularly athletic:

He's referring to Poults in that last bit.... Classy?  Why start now?

A Tradition.... - Good post title by our Shack, but they had some good old fun in the desert before things got serious:

This Spieth-Fowler cage match with McIlroy-Stenson is now formally known as The Rider Cup:

Call me a traditionalist, but I long for the good old days:

I don't judge a man by the color of his skin, but rather by the length of his sword...