Thursday Thoughts

Pegs are in the ground and balls are in the air at The Blue Monster, so what are we waiting for?

Fear The Fogeys - Cam Morfitt, with whom we picked a quibble yesterday, has this in this week's SI/Golf+ digital mag:

Get Off My Lawn, Kids: The 30-Somethings Stage a Revival on Tour

We like a good header as much as the next fellow, but let's give him a couple of graphs to explain:

“It’s amazing in a couple weeks how quickly things turn around,” Adam Scott, 35, said on Sunday after shooting an even-par 70 to hang on for a one-stroke victory over Sergio Garcia, 36, at the Honda Classic. “I’ve played really well the last couple of weeks, and a couple of those guys who were so outstanding last summer haven’t played that great in the last couple of weeks. You know, you feel like the gap is really not that big at all.” 

Not that the kiddie corps lacked representation: Justin Thomas, 22, and Blayne Barber, 26, tied for third, four back. But those weren't the “guys” Scott was referring to. He meant Rory McIlroy, 26, the 2012 Honda Classic champ, who shot 72-72 to miss the cut by a shot. Also: Rickie Fowler, 27, the hottest player in the game after winning in Abu Dhabi and nearly capturing the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Fowler shot 66-66 to take the 36-hole lead at PGA National. Alas, his 74-71 on the weekend left him in a tie for sixth with the indefatigable Vijay Singh, 53.

As has been noted on other contexts, on any given Sunday....But if that generation wants to go to battle with Sergio leading its charge....ummm, well good luck with that, Sir.   Cam's piece is mostly about Adam Scott, and we all knew that guy could play....  whether he can putt well enough without the broom will be an ongoing discussion methinks.

Thumbsucker Of The Day - Shack files a curious post under this header:

Where Do Golf's Leading Bodies Stand On Trump?

We'll give Geoff a chance to make his points, but I want plant one in your mind first.  Do golf's leading bodies have to have a "stand"?  But back to Geoff:

Forget the question of where you stand on Donald Trump politically--even though most

seem to despise the man as he racks up votes and states in the Republican presidential primary. 

I'm more interested in knowing if anyone understands where the PGA Tour, USGA, PGA of America and R&A stand with the man. 

After all, they joined forces to condemn him last July in a strongly-worded, unprecedented Four-Of-Five Family statement. The PGA Tour continues to signal in roundabout ways that they won't mind the Doral partnership ending this week, though much of that tension may stem from philosophic course setup differences. 

Upon consuming some pre-Doral writings and a well-produced TV piece (like the one fromGolf Channel hosted by Gary Williams), I'm more confused than ever as to where they all stand on the man. We've heard how he's bad, he's wrong, he's divisive, he's Mussolini, he's...we still kind of like him!

I don't think they've ever liked him, but none of us has the luxury of dealing only with those we like.  In fact, I've always assumed that these bodies have steered clear of him because the consider him a noveau riche interloper.  In my home state it's long been said that the most dangerous real estate to be found is that between Chuck Schumer and a microphone...and the same can be said of Trump.

Shack links to this article that addresses Trump's relationship to the game, but in a significant breach of blogger ethics (an oxymoron at best) fails to disclose that it comes from the house newspaper to the Clinton campaign:

In January, at a tour stop outside Palm Springs., the PGA commissioner, Tim Finchem, was asked about the extent of former President Bill Clinton’s involvement with the event. The Clinton Foundation was one of the sponsors, but Clinton, a tireless promoter of the tournament in recent years, was spending time on the campaign trail with his wife, Hillary Clinton, a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“We like to think that presidential politics doesn’t affect the situation here,” Finchem said. 

Perhaps with an eye toward defusing any controversy here, Finchem added that the tour and its tournaments were “apolitical” and said, “We’re going to stay that way.”

So, Commish, you're funneling greenbacks into the political slush fund that's called The Clinton Foundation, but you're completely apolitical?

And, just to review, Trump has said mean things about Megyn Kelly, but Bill Clinton was credibly accused of rape?  Apolitical?  That's the ticket....

Yes, Next Question -

Van Cynical Mailbag: Should Rory McIlroy Change His Putting Grip?

Just to be safe, he should change his grip, his putter and, just to be safe, his golf ball.  Have I forgotten anything?

But it's not always about me, shall we see how Gary handled the query?

Hey Custom Vans, I heard today that Rory McIlroy is messing around with left-hand-low on his putter. That can’t be good, can it?—Stads88 via email 

Rory says his right hand is “too active” in his putting stroke and he thinks going crosshanded will quiet it down. I grew up putting crosshanded, went conventional at age 25, and evolved to the claw grip about eight years ago. These were all out of necessity. I can still roll it really well conventially—just not on the course, not all the time. I hope LHL (left hand low) solves Rory’s issues. Sometimes, you need a different look. Long-term, however, I suspect he’s got a bigger issue with his stroke. I guess we’ll see.

Hey, it's not always about you van Cynical.....  Your humble correspondent went LHL last season, and now a conventional grip feels really strange.  The first step in the long road back is to admit you have a problem.... but equally true is that if you have a problem with your putting stroke in your 20's, you might want to find another line of work.  or, in the alternative, given your ability to pulverize a golf ball, you have Adam Scott's career.

Nonsense of the Day -  Shack made appropriate mincemeat of this from Tim Dahlberg:

Who knows, they might even share some tips on the new course — completed in

November after years of delays — with the stars of the game. That, of course, is assuming the stars decide to play for their countries when the Olympics finally roll around. 

No real explanation was given why no one raised their hand to play, other than scheduling difficulties. Finchem said in January that arrangements had been made to fly the top players in for the test event, something mandated by the IOC for every sport.
It could be they just haven't caught the Olympic spirit yet. The last time golf was in the Olympics was 1904, so there's not the familiarity of playing for a gold medal as there is in competing for a green jacket. 

Or maybe this whole golf in the Olympics thing was simply a bad idea to begin with.

Mr. Dullberg, you might want to let your colleague Doug Ferguson review your articles per-publication, as you'll save much embarrassment that way...

Has there been a harsher critic of Olympic Golf than yours truly?  Nothing has happened to change that opinion, but the fact that professional golfers don't want to fly to Rio to play 18 holes in the midst of the most torturous schedule conceived by man means exactly this and nothing more.  They are, please listen carefully, not complete idiots.

Glad we got that cleared up....

Heart Warming Moment Du Jour - This is a worthy companion piece to yesterday's puppy-winning feature (h/t Maggot):

I love the kid's introduction, but who is that guy that hugs him after it goes in?  he looks vaguely familiar....

I love the concept of The Playground, that's a great way to bring kids and others into the game.  But it's the rare club that will have enough property to do this...

And speaking of that guy, in a long post at tigerwoods.com he tells us pretty much nothing:

As I announced last week, I am starting to feel a lot better. I have been chipping and putting at home, and recently started hitting 9 irons. That's been so nice. After all, Florida is the Sunshine State.

Can you tell us anything more?  Maybe something about, you know, The Peach State?

My son Charlie and I compete in just about everything and have three-hole chipping contests. The loser has to do push-ups. My short game feels pretty sharp. 

The big thing right now is trying to get stronger and more flexible. Sitting out as long as I did, some weakening occurred, and I have a lot of work ahead of me. 

While there is no timetable on my return to competitive golf, I want to play this game at the highest level again. In order to do that, I have to get healthy.

Did you even listen to the question?   This was the most interesting bit from the Bluejack presser:

Then a reporter got in one final question about Woods being more patient than in the past and he offered this insightful, candid answer: 

"I am [being more patient], and I have to be with it. That wasn't always the case. I've played through a lot of injuries. I've played through some situations I probably shouldn't have, won some tournaments I probably shouldn't have won," he said smiling before turning a bit more serious. "But I've cost myself some other tournaments by pushing through that, and I've cost myself months -- and years because of it. But that's what athletes do. We play through pain, we deal with injuries. That's part of playing sports. . . . We're always pushing the envelope to compete at the highest level."

That sound you hear is Rocco Mediate's fist penetrating sheetrock....But this is the real downer:

But he also cast serious doubt on whether he would return in time for the Masters.

In an exclusive interview before the course opening, Woods said, “I wish I could say 

[when I will return]. Do I want to? Absolutely. I would love to play [at the Masters]. I would love to say I’m playing next week, but is that realistic?” He began to chuckle. “No. Far from it.” 

Regardless of whether he's in the field at Augusta National, Woods said he’s likely to attend the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night of tournament week.

Pity that.