I've opted for a double dosage of ibuprofen to contain my case of FedEx Cup fever.....please consult your physician with your own specific symptoms.
I do want to provide a heads up to my vast readership that the next two days include golf outings, so I'm uncertain as to when we'll see each other again. I know, but it's hard on me as well...
Playoff Fever - It's Killer "B" time, it's the Barclays, it's Bethpage Black and, yes, it's boring as heck. But it's Commissioner Ratched's world, and we're just lucky that we're living in it... And there's at least one reason to feign interest, that little event in Minnesota in five weeks:
This may come as a bit of surprise -- especially given his propensity to make puttinglook easy -- but Brandt Snedeker has only played on one Ryder Cup USA team. That was in 2012 at Medinah under then Captain Davis Love III, who also happens to be the 2016 Captain for the matches at Hazeltine National.
On Sunday, with a tie for third in the Wyndham Championship, Snedeker went a long way toward clinching a second Ryder Cup appearance.With the T3, Snedeker snagged the No. 6 spot in the coveted top 8 -- up three spots from No. 9. It was a crucial week for Snedeker, seeing as Ryder Cup USA points close for the top 8 spots at the conclusion of this Sunday's Barclays at Bethpage Black.
Snedeker didn't guarantee himself a spot on the team just yet, but he did put himself in a position to control his own destiny with a solid week in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup opener.
Au contraire, that doesn't surprise me in the least, as he's not actually all that good a player. And talk about burying the lede, the writer can't find the time to inform that Sneds was 1-2-0 at that 2012 event.
But if the only interest is attributed to an unrelated event, what does that say about our playoffs? The author lists the bubble boys, though fails to discuss Patrick Reed, currently No. 8 on the points list, who would be usurped if any of the five have an especially strong week.
Jim McCabe scrapes the bottom of the barrel for storylines heading into said playoffs, and....well, you'll see what I mean:
4. Can he be Smylie again?He was the rage early on, winning in just his second PGA Tour start, but the latter part of this season has been tough for Smylie Kaufman.
The 24-year-old has missed the cut in seven of his last 10 tournaments, and there’s been just one top 10 in a full-field event since Vegas in November.
Good news: His torrid start has enabled him to keep a lofty FEC standing (26th).
Bad news: He needs to turn things around should he want to make it to the Tour Championship as a rookie, something Daniel Berger did in 2015.
Yeah, I'm on the edge of my seat....
Ryder Ruminations - The nonsense continues to metastasize, but perhaps I'm too simple to understand the complexity of their worldview.... (any readers know that reference? Anyone?.... Bueller?) OK, we can move on....
Here's today's installment, courtesy of our captain:
 |
| Tiger channels his inner Rodin. |
Tiger Woods is playing a big role in planning for the Ryder Cup.
Serving as an assistant captain to Davis Love III, Woods has apparently been spending his time off from competitive golf — which passed the one-year mark last week — trying to come up with the best possible pairings and practice pods (or groups) for the upcoming matches at Hazeltine National in September.
“Tiger was on the Task Force, he’ll be a future captain, so he’s got to be a part of the decision-making process of this whole new, Ryder Cup committee,” Love said in a diary for PGA.com.
Love and Woods were among the players named to the PGA of America-created Ryder Cup Task Force, formed after the U.S. was drubbed by the Europeans in the 2014 matches at Gleneagles in Scotland. Love, who was losing captain in 2012, got the job again as part of an effort to create continuity in leadership and set a standard moving forward. Woods, as well other members like Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk, are set to serve as vice-captains now and in future years in preparation for becoming captain.
Egads, we've got the pods! Phil, I'm going to get you for this damn Ryder Cup task force, and your little dogie too.....
But wait, there's more:
“Tiger is more interested in the strategy side of it — rounding out the team with picks, or making small groups, making pairings,” Love said. “He’s our tactician more than anything. And he’s really been helpful on how to prepare for a major championship. He’s like me. He’s excited about it, he doesn’t sleep much, he puts a lot of thought into it. There’s a reason why he’s arguably one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He knows how to prepare, he knows how to think his way around a golf course, around a golf tournament. He’s committed to being a part of it and he means it.”
Here's a thought.... How about if our guys just, you know, play better?
On the Euro Beat, where they actually seem to understand that it's the golf, stupid, John Huggan catches up with bubble boy Russel Knox:
Currently fourth on the FedEx Cup rankings, the 31-year-old Scot would have been anautomatic qualifier for the European side had he been a member of the European Tour at the time of his victory in last fall’s HSBC Championship in China. Still, given that he recently added the Travelers Championship to his résumé, the Jacksonville resident (his father is American, his mother Scottish) is currently ranked in the world’s top 20, making it difficult for Clarke to ignore Knox’s claims.
“I think Darren has made his mind up no matter what I do this week,” said Knox, just prior to his first look at the Bethpage Black course that will host the Barclays. “I don’t think me missing the cut or winning this tournament is going to change anything. Then there are other guys who can do well here or in Denmark. It’ll come down to the last day, I think.”
The young man seems to be handling it well, making the case for himself but in a an inoffensive manner. The issue, as addressed in Huggan's piece, is that the roster is rookie-heavy. And w ecan argue deep into the night about the value of experience, but unlike the Yanks their experience is at least in the winning of Ryder Cups.
I'm going to hope that Clarke leaves him off the team, because right now he's better than several players that have already qualified.... and hasn't Lee Westwood reached his sell-by date?
This Explains So Much - Patrick Reed puts his hands of stone on public display, and comedy ensued:
Patrick Reed is one of the best golfers in the world, largely on the strength of a fantastic short game. That soft touch, however, doesn’t appear to carry over to other activities.
Reed was at the closing bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday afternoon, representing the PGA Tour ahead of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and looking snazzy and patriotic in a blue blazer with an American flag tie (think this guy wants to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team again?). But a bizarre thing happened when he banged the gavel. It broke. As in, it actually snapped into two pieces from the force of this young star. Thanks to Twitter user @WillHarrelson for catching this instant classic.
There's allegedly video at the link, though I only got the audio. Apparently the broken gavel flew into the crowd, but Reed failed to yell "Fore".
Olympic Observations - Zach Johnson shared his thoughts on Olympic golf, harshing the mellow of the golf world and inviting public rebuke from his elders. In response, Shack dug deep for some of his signature small-batch artisanal snark, so it's win-win, baby. In fact, Geoff was so worked up that he snarked before excerpting, a violation of the blogging code of conduct.
So, what did Zach have to say that had Shack spitting out his coffee?
“Oh, I didn’t watch golf,’’ Johnson said. “I’d rather watch the sports that should be in the Olympics. I’d rather watch the athletes who train for four years for that one week. I’d rather watch swimming and diving, track and field — the athletes that are relevant for one week. All of our [golf] athletes are relevant 24-7, 365. I just don’t see the need for golf to be in the Olympics. Same thing with basketball. It’s relevant all the time. LeBron James, Kevin Durant? They’re relevant all the time.’’
Can't we all just get along.... Here's Geoff's somewhat over-the-top rebuttals:
Why would the veteran Johnson unwisely go down the "matter" path that so scarred McIlroy and caused the lad unnecessary grief? Especially after two sensational weeks where the golfers who went to Rio reported emotions ranging from life-changing to mentioning new perspectives on their sport?
Life-changing? Back to Shack:
"All of our [golf] athletes are revelant 24-7" eh?
Speaking of relevance, I'm fairly certain that Zach could have walked through the Olympic Village with his caddie wearing a name-labeled bib, the Claret Jug in hand, all while singing the Star Spangled Banner, and still would have been guessed by most as a masseuse for the USA sailing team.
Geoff was there and I get that he loved the experience, but more than a little excessively personal, no? Shack then posted this excerpt:
Johnson said he’d rather see amateur golfers play in the Olympics if golf continues to be an Olympic sport.
“Make it a team format and give amateurs and college players, who don’t have the relevancy [pros do] a chance,” he said. “That would have been more interesting. For those guys who played, any time you can represent your country, it’s a pretty awesome endeavor. But we have so much international golf as it is. And the fact that it put a kink in our schedule this year irritates me. To mess with the four tournaments that matter most [the majors] because you’re at the Olympics, I’ve got a strong, strong disdain for that.’’
To which Geoff responded that Zach's mother swims after troop ships.... well, close:
Those pesky Olympics putting kinks in schedules with their millions and millions of viewers messing with the relevancy of golf's majors.
Johnson comments speak to a level of ignorance that sadly reinforces the pre-Games view of grossly-out-of-touch and spoiled PGA Tour players. This will also not decrease the view inside golf circles that Johnson was mysteriously and passionately instrumental in talking Jordan Spieth out of going to Rio.
Perhaps he'll address his views in more depth during his pre-tournament press conference. Wait, those are for relevant golfers only, sorry.
I'm guessing that Geoff will be off Zach's Christmas card list, but the irony is that each of Johnson's criticisms was made by Geoff prior to the games and after, in that piece we linked yesterday with suggestions for improvement. I don't know if it's Zach's use of the D-word that set Geoff off, but the irony is they probably agree on more than either party realizes.
I'm going to give you all a break and not rehash all of the valid issues here, though I will remind you that Zach has an unusually strong tie to the John Deere event, as it's where he grew up and he's a past champion. That event took one for the team, and I suspect that Zach's ire is at least in part a result thereof.
And as long as we're on the Olympics, Forbes has an interview with NBC's David Feherty who cracks wise about the "Z" word:
“There are a couple of things that will really make the difference. Word of mouth is oneand scheduling is the other. The schedule will have changed by the time they get to Tokyo. I don’t think we’ll be playing three majors and this in the space of two months. I imagine it will be spread out a little better. Between that, the FedExCup (playoffs) and the Ryder Cup coming up, it’s a really tough spell, and not physically. These are tremendous athletes and they’re young, but there’s a mental strain to play in these four-day golf tournaments and perform at your best all the time. A lot of the decision — never mind the Zika virus, that was partly an excuse, I think. Hell, I saw one mosquito the whole time I was down there and it was at the bar at the Hilton drinking a Jack Daniels because I don’t think it trusted the water. So I think the next U.S. team will be harder to make because of that.”
That's a good one, David, though why were folks worried about the water?
And, having nothing to do with anything, Golf Channel replayed the singles matches from the 1991 Ryder Cup, the famed War by the Shore. Watching Feherty close out Payne Stewart was a bit surreal....
It Ain't Over - I'd love to know what triggered this, but Mike Bamberger has filed an interesting take on Phil Mickelson's insider trading case. The lede:
Phil Mickelson has lived large and played large all his life. It's why millions of us love
Billy Walters the guy. What has Phil done except make our lives more interesting by aligning ours with his? All those heartbreaking losses and Phil-the-Thrill wins. The beautiful wife. The crazy-big tips. The feuds with Tim Finchem. The many hours on the autograph line. The glassy-eyed quotes. From the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, after making a mess out of the 72nd hole: "I'm such an idiot."
If only we could sweep Phil's recent out-of-Billions debacle under the clubhouse rug. You know: his alleged debts to the gambler Billy Walters; the money Phil made (and eventually forfeited) in his too-good-to-be-true stock trading.Can't be done. You know the phrase "Don't make a federal case out of it"? This is one. Prosecutors have been after Walters for decades (five indictments), and if he goes to trial on this case, the "professional golfer Philip A. Mickelson," as the SEC refers to Lefty in its complaint, will likely be a reluctant witness for the government.
Yes, that inevitable testimony should be very interesting.... as will the Tour's reaction, if they deign to share it with us. You know how I feel about that last bit...
Mike makes this obvious but important point:
One of the five was John Dowd, a Washington lawyer and the lead investigator for Major League Baseball's investigation into the Pete Rose gambling fiasco of the late 1980s. "When you owe a large sum of money to someone like Billy Walters," Dowd told me, "he owns you."
In all the coverage of this case there seems a total lack of interest in what seems to me the most perplexing aspect, why was this debt unpaid? Seriously, did Phil not have the money? Or was he unwilling for some reason to make good? Or was Walters sucking him in deeper, and to what end?
Mike concludes on quite the optimistic note:
This matter is not over. My view—worth nothing more than a free roll with unmarked dice—is that a full accounting here would only help Phil and golf. The candor he showed that Sunday night at Winged Foot is what makes Phil Phil.
Color me skeptical, but if a full accounting would make Phil or the PGA Tour look good, don't you think we'd have received it by now?
Spanning The Globe... - A couple of items that allow us to talk about great places in golf, as well as to make fun of certain ill-considered choices.
First, Joel Beall shares his thirteen most famous landmarks in golf. he ledes with Amen Corner and the Swilican Bridge, so you get the gist. But....is this a landmark?
Wicker baskets, Merion Golf Club
This next one is a landmark, it's simply one that's become tedious and regrettable:
In this day and age you can't have a proper golf course without an animal-themed thre-hole stretch.
Let's recount, no R&A Clubhouse, no Postage Stamp, no Turnberry lighthouse, no Devil's A*******e, but we've got the Bear Trap.
Lastly, Travelin' Joe puts together his Dream 18, the best 18 holes that anyone can play..... Well, anyone with a 7-figure net worth.
No need to quibble here, as of course your or my list would be different. But I link mostly because the photography is so good, such as this one of the iconic 13th hole at Pacific Dunes:
And a couple of surprise selections, most notably this one:
If the text is too small to make out, you can click through to the original.
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