Midweek Musings - Masters Edition

It really is the best week of the golf year, isn't it?

The Pressers - Tuesday is best known for the evening Champions Dinner, but the more interesting occurrences are in the media center, where a endless stream of players cycle through and share their thoughts on the week ahead.

That allows for a new installment of or continuing series, Good Phil/Bad Phil.... But, I hasten to add, never Dull Phil.  And for that, I'm extremely grateful....

So, Good Phil had this to say about the golf course:

Q. You've designed some great golf courses like Whisper Rock, and now that the Club has room to move the tee back on No. 5, No. 2 and possibly No. 13 one day, would you be in favor of that?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, longer is longer. Longer isn't always better. Sometimes it is; sometimes it isn't. I think that you want to make the hard holes harder, but you don't want 

to make the ‑‑ you want to actually make the easier holes easier.

So when you start looking at the birdie holes, which are the par 5s, the last thing you really want to do is continue to lengthen them to where they are not reachable and they become just a wedge game for everybody. Loses a lot of excitement and it loses a lot of greatness. 

But to move a hole back like No. 5 or No. 11 that are designed to be the tougher holes out there and sandwiched in the middle of a round in between birdie holes, like 2 and 3, I don't think ‑‑ I think that's a good thing. So you want to make the hard holes harder, but you've got to be strategic on what holes those are. 

I think when you make an easy hole, like 7, one of the toughest pars on the golf course, it changes the entire dynamic of how the golf course plays.

This is a point Phil has been making for some time, and he's also attributed the concept to Mike Davis' U.S. Open set-ups...  The logic is that it's birdies and bogies that are interesting, so create more opportunities for each.

 He's also correct that the changes to No. 7 are arguably the most significant over the years, taking one of the easier two-shotters and morphing into a hole on which the objective is survival...  I'd add Nos. 16 (though admittedly that's a completely new hole) and No. 18, with it's unusually-for-wide-open-Augusta driving corridor to that list as well.

Now does anyone know who the questioner is?  You know doubt picked up on the suck-up involved, but the real problem is adjectival....  If you carelessly use "great" to describe Whisper Rock, what have you kept in reserve to describe the golf course on which they're playing this week...

But fortunately its blog sweeps week, and we get to the ratings bonanza called Bad Phil, in which our hero is asked to opine on the Lexi Thompson penalty:

Q. Curious to get your reaction to what happened to Lexi, and viewers calling in.

PHIL MICKELSON: So rather than address that specific instance, what I would say is this: I know a number of guys on TOUR that are loose with how they mark the ball and have not been called on it. I mean, they will move the ball two, three inches in front of their mark, and this is an intentional way to get it out of any type of impression and so forth and I think that kind of stuff needs to stop.

But I think it should be handled within the TOUR. I think that the TOUR should go to those players and say, look, we've noticed you've been a little lax in how precise you've been in marking the ball. We'd like you to be a little bit better at it ‑‑ and see if that doesn't just kind of fix the thing.

Because we've all marked the ball imprecisely, especially when you're standing on the side of the ball like she was and not directly behind the ball, in line with the hole, where it's easy to draw a line.

And I think that that should have been handled within the LPGA saying, hey, look, you're a little lax in how you're marking the ball. You need to be careful. Here's a warning and let's go from there.

But to have a tournament be decided like that, with all the scenarios going around, as far as viewers calling in, as far as it being a one‑foot putt with really no advantage, just a little bit of loose marking, if you will, something that happens all the time, intentionally and unintentionally, I just think that's ‑‑ I think it should be reversed. I think that she should be given the trophy.

OK, big guy, but I'm due back on planet Earth....

Now he's right about the incidence of "loose marking" of balls on all Tours, and also correct on the subject of intent.  And perhaps there's a public service involved in saying this out loud...  perhaps.

But the disease he cites is soon to be covered by the new rules, to wit, if players can fix scuff marks and other incidental imperfections, they'll no longer need to be loose with the marking of their balls.  

But of course the gem is that last bit, that nothing that came after the assessment of the penalty should count, and we'll just hand her the trophy.  It must be good to be the Phil, a life in which reality can be wished away....  Now, about that 18th hole at Winged Foot....  Upon further review.....

Shack has the goods on other interesting presser takes, including Jordan:

Q. I'm just curious, what is it about Augusta, Jordan, that appeals to you, that suits your eye and that allows you to elevate your game in such a way? 

JORDAN SPIETH: Well, I like the golf course specifically. I like the elevation changes, the sidehill lies, the pull to Rae's Creek, the way it affects putts. It's imaginative golf. It's feel golf and I really enjoy that; when I can go away from technicality and towards feel, it's an advantage for me personally, compared to how I play other places. 

I really love the tournament. It's pure golf. When we get to the driving range, it's just us. It's myself, my caddie, my coach. No offense; there's nobody else on the range, and that's actually kind of nice for a change to be able to feel like you're not pulled in any direction. You can just get out there and get done what you want to get done. 

And then obviously, just the feel, the crowds, leading into the tournament is second to none. I really like that and am able to feed off that. Rounds like today, just played the back nine, and just had a great time out there. It was just a lot of fun. You don't come away from a lot of Tuesdays saying that. It was just a neat experience in itself.

I haven't a clue how his week will go, but I love the boyish enthusiasm in that last 'graph.  I always warn young professionals (the teaching pros) about the risk of turning that which you love into your job, but it speaks well of him that he can just enjoy being out there.

And this from Adam Scott about reacquainting himself with the golf course:

ADAM SCOTT: Yeah, the couple things that really come to mind as I think about that quickly is the severity of the slope on the fairway and standing on uneven lies. Sunday here, my second shot into 2, I had a perfect tee shot and I had a 3‑iron into the green, and as I walked into the bowl, I was shocked at how severe the downslope was and had to back off and completely readjust to how I was going to hit the shot. It's very severe, even though it doesn't look it, because there's so much slope everywhere else, I think you can sometimes be fooled. That's one of the big things.

The other thing for me is when I look at my aim points off tees, I think of 10 especially, there's been a branch up in the top of a tree that I look at every year to get that line. That's an important tee shot to kind of have to move one, and so I just check that that same branch is there and if it's not, I don't know what I'll do. But it was there again this year, a little U‑shape up in the top of the trees there through the fairway.

Those kind of eye lines and comfort things that have obviously been in the last five or six years really comfortable for me here, I check those. I've felt very comfortable getting back on the greens this year, probably more so than ever. I feel like now I'm really getting a good understanding of the fall lines and the few little nuances they have here, because obviously they are very tricky at times. So I feel very comfortable with that.

And they are the kind of things ‑‑ but my level of comfort here the last five years has grown so much, and now it's far less daunting coming here than in the past.

Q. And 13th tee shot?

ADAM SCOTT: It's really condition‑dependent. If there's a little help, I like to hit the driver and aim it at the kind of corner of the trees through the fairway, and if it draws, then it's perfect. And if it doesn't, it's 50/50 it might get a bounce to the left in the grass and it might go in the pine straw. But I think if there's a bit of help, I can hit it long enough. I know I can carry the corner of the trees, not the highest point like Dustin Johnson hits it over, but I can get across the corner and it's worth trying to get a 7‑ or an 8‑iron in on a helping wind. And if it's not helping, I'm very comfortable just hitting a 3‑wood pretty straight. It's now 200‑maybe‑yard run‑out up there, if you just hit a nice 3‑wood, it shouldn't run out. So it's not a real priority for me to turn it around the corner.

If Clifford Roberts were still with us, I'm guessing that a search party would be going after that branch on No. 10, but still interesting.  The discussion of the tee shot on No. 13 should be understood in the context of the potential for it to be lengthened if the deal with neighboring Augusta Country Club is completed, but also in light of Phil's comments above.  I'm not going to say that it's a perfect golf hole as-is, but I'd be awfully loathe to change anything about it....

Alan, Still En Fuego - That Shipnuck guy has really found his voice, so let's see what he's been asked about this week:

"What do you think ANGC tournament officials would do in the Lexi situation if Rory, DJ, Jordan or Jason Day was two ahead with six holes to play?" -- Gavin (@McShoo) 

Notwithstanding poor Roberto de Vicenzo, the Masters has a very long history of offering its stars generous rulings, whether it's Arnold Palmer's embedded ball, Rory McIlroy kicking the sand, Ernie Els's free drop deep in the forest or Tiger Woods not getting DQ'd. So, I'm guessing the dude who received the phone call or email would try to pretend it doesn't exist. If that was impossible, perhaps because multiple folks were alerted, the green coats would finagle a compromise where the two-stroke penalty for mismarking the ball would be applied but the additional two strokes for signing an incorrect scorecard is waived. They always find a way to protect the players…as long as it's not a defenseless 14 year-old boy.

Wow!  Don't be bitter, Alan....  Though I have to admit, that drop that Ernie was given was one of the strangest rulings I've ever seen.  But the slow-play penalty to 14-year old Guan Tianlang was a thing back in the day...  And not to revisit past kerfuffles, but I was Ok with Tiger not being DQ'd, because it was such a revealing look into the world of rules officials and petty disputes.  

But keep all that that in mind as you read this Q&A:

"Has an ANGC official ever reprimanded you for anything you wrote, said, or did on the grounds?" -- @ShutFaceGolf 

This is a sensitive topic and, at the advice of my bosses, all I can say is that twice I have been escorted off the grounds and my absence at the 2013 Masters was not my choice.

I have not the slightest clue as to whether he's pulling our leg, but if he's not on site next year, that answer above might be the reason.  Oh, and @ShutFaceGolf is just a great Twitter handle.

"Does Jack in '86 remain the most exhilarating Masters win of all time?" -- @MarkEglinton 

It's hard to say no, but people forget that Big Jack won it sitting in the clubhouse, as a series of pretenders (including Greg Norman and Tom Kite) faltered on the closing holes. So, it's certainly the most unforgettable victory in tournament history but the ending wasn't very artistic. Exhilaration, to me, means a wild finish. Sunday at the 2011 Masters was the craziest day I've ever experienced in nearly a quarter-century on the golf beat, with eight different players claiming a share of the lead and then Charl Schwartzel blowing them all off the golf course with four closing birdies. If a bigger name/more charismatic player had done this we'd still be singing songs about that day. But unfettered exhilaration demands that the right guy wins *and* loses, so I think the best choice might be Sunday of 2004: Ernie Els's two mid-round eagles to take control of the tournament and then an up-and-down for the ages on 15; Phil Mickelson's mid-round stumble followed by an epic rally in Amen Corner; and, finally, the muthah of all walk-off putts.

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure how old Alan is, but where's the love for '75?  Miller and Weiskopf on the 16th tee as jack holes that snake?  But '04 and '11 were pretty special in their own way.

And, while I've excerpted the entire column except for his ode to the peach cobbler, this is good as well:

"Most overrated tradition at The Masters?" -- Dan (@djdonof) 

Gosh, that's tough because there are so many to choose from! I really don't care what the past champ serves for dinner, and neither do the other guys in the room – almost all of them just order a steak off the club menu. The Par-3 tourney used to be a really cool event, a chance to watch pros of various vintages work magic with their wedges. Now that it's a glorified daycare center I'm out. In theory I like that past champs keep coming back but ever since the course was supersized it's painful to watch them labor to break 80; with the course playing long and soft this year, plus gusty winds, we might need a break-90 watch for some of these cats. Driving down Magnolia Lane is a special experience but I'm over it now that every jabroni in the field videotapes it and puts it on social media. The green jacket retains its mystique but the worst three minutes in sports is the stale Butler Cabin ceremony and the always-awkward chit-chat by the chairman. ("Seve, how tall are you?") Am I leaving anything out?

I couldn't agree more about the Par-3, the second most painful golf broadcast behind only Saturday at Pebble.  The note about the past champs is also worth noting.  I don't much care what they shoot, it's that they dilute the strength of the field.... there's 94 guys teeing off this week, but when you deuct the amateurs and the past champions, there's about thirty that can actually win.

A Tradition Unlike Any Other - Coleman Bentley takes it upon himself to rank the Masters Traditions and, while it's hard to argue with his winner, who exactly is picking the photos?

1. The Green Jacket

In the totally imaginary pantheon of American sports totems, only three deserve their own cavernous, echoing wings: the Lombardi Trophy, Lord Stanley’s Cup, and the green jacket -- an antiquated, shoulder-padded swath of Pantone 342 with the power to bring grown men, quite literally, to their knees. First awarded to Sam Snead in 1949, the green jacket is the one Masters tradition without which the Masters couldn’t exist, fitting this number one ranking as if it was tailored to.

That's the picture you choose, with Jack awkwardly adjusting his collar....  Sheesh!  I'd have gone with anything from '63-'65 with Jack and Arnie (you guys know he died, right?) doing the honors for each other.

And Shack continues his tradition of reviewing the swag in the merchandise tent....I'll take one of everything.

Picks - I'm still at sea on this, utterly bereft of insight.  So, the only logical step is to see what others have in mind, and then to punt.

Strangely, I didn't find this flowchart all that helpful:

I have it on good authority that the arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.  Yeah, I'll just note that it doesn't bend enough for Sergio to win a Masters.....

This guy is picking Rickie, and here's what passes for logic:

1. Total Distance Efficiency is the ratio of total yards to swing speed, important I believe because those who win the Masters don’t have to be the longest but they certainly have to get every possible yard out of their frame as possible. 

2. Going for it. A stat that measures how often players who go for the green on a par 4 or par 5 in two make birdie or better seems right in line with the aggressive effectiveness Augusta National demands. 

3. Made-putt percentage from 15-25 feet. This distance is where you’re throwing daggers at the field.

I'm sorry, remind me where total distance efficiency goes on the scorecard....  All I remember is that Rickie came into last year's Masters as one of the top picks, and threw up a nice little 80 on Thursday to reward the faithful.  Come to think of it, threw up is exactly the tight term.....

The Golfweek guys try to help me here, but apparently that guy picking Rory hasn't heard the weather forecast... I do like that they have a "Fade" category for those to avoid, and there's much good sense to be found there.  Though I think you sell King Louis short at your own peril....

So, the only logical thing is to kick this can down the road and do it tonight.