Midweek Musings

A challenging edition thereof, because it will need to be sufficiently substantive to get you through the week.

Splitsville Redux - Just when we declared the Phil-Bones divestiture to be the divorce of the century, along comes this shocker:

After 24 years, Lee Westwood has left International Sports Management and split with his manager Chubby Chandler. The former world No 1 is joining IMG.

Happier Days.

ISM confirmed the move to Telegraph Sport on Tuesday but declined to comment further. The reasons remain unclear, although it is understood that there is a legal dispute between the golfer and the agency. 

The news will cause shockwaves on the range. Along with Darren Clarke, Westwood was one of Chandler’s first signings after he founded the agency in 1991. As Clarke and Westwood rose through the ranks, the duo were often seen with Chandler, who became as much a friend and a confidante as a manager. Clarke remains with ISM.

For now.  No further details on the extent of the legal dispute are available, but their ties run deep:

The closeness between Westwood and Chandler was not just witnessed in golf circles but on racetracks, too. They have owned many horses together, including Hoof It, which won Handicapper of the Year in 2011 following its win in the Stewards’ Cup.

Westwood was believed to be shareholder in ISM and his departure is clearly a blow for the Manchester-based company, which remains one of the biggest players in the market, despite losing players of the calibre of Rory McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel and Matt Fitzpatrick. Westwood was clearly one ISM’s marquee names, boasting on-course earnings of approximately£50 million and off-course income estimated to be more than £5 million per year.

No need to stay together for the children, as they'd all previously moved on.  Anyone but me remember the Chubby Slam?

The Obligatory Trump Item -  Forgive me, but I didn't realize that his no-show was a thing:

You should have been in the U.S. Women’s Open media center Tuesday at Trump National. 

A Jujutsu grand master would have been proud. 

One player after another deftly blocked, deflected or dodged questions about President Donald Trump. 

USGA executive director Mike Davis, however, didn’t bother playing defense. He didn’t bother playing at all. He didn’t show up. Remarkably, he wasn’t there for the organization’s annual U.S. Women’s Open news conference. 

Yes, Davis doesn’t always make an appearance at this annual women’s news conference, which is troubling enough in itself, but his absence Tuesday was especially glaring. 

Davis’ last appearance at the U.S. Women’s Open annual USGA news conference was 2014, but this one demanded his square jaw, even if he was only going to deflect, block or dodge, like all the players he left to answer the hard questions.

Square jaw?  This may not be the best week to be dealing in body image issues....

But I do agree with Randall Mell's premise that Mike should have been there to take the heat, especially given that it's a home game.  As for his lede, I'd rather be water-boarded than listen to the tedious journalists repeatedly asking how Trump makes the players feel....  Sheesh!.  Get over it, guys, it's a golf tournament and the ladies didn't pick the venue.

This is where a writer needs a strong editor:

Funny thing, though. While Davis didn’t have to dodge any hardballs Tuesday, he’s the one who got the black eye.

You had something there, Randall, but then you got caught up with being clever....  Fortunately, that never happens here.

But there was this:

By the way, USGA president Diana Murphy wasn’t at Tuesday’s news conference, either.

Win-win, baby!  Not only did that keep the bar tab under control, but defending champion Bethany Lang wasn't forced into an awkward encounter.

As for this, no one in the game thought otherwise:

Commentary: Brittany Lincicome is not anti-Trump; she's pro-LPGA

The LPGA players are universally grateful for Trump's support of their game.  Need more blindingly obvious commentary?

For starters, Lincicome didn’t know she had done anything gutsy because she didn’t intend to take a political stance. She simply didn’t want to deal with practical things like traffic jams and secret service delays. She didn’t want her national open to be about anything other than golf. 

Given that the country is so divided on Trump, why aren’t players taking a strong stance?

South Korea’s Inbee Park, a two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, put it best: “I think everybody (is) just trying to avoid political questions because I don’t think they will get any advantage from saying whether they agree or disagree.” 

For players, commenting is a lose-lose proposition.

So, why do the reporters keep asking?  Because it's all about the narrative.... 

In The Mood - Shack's got the goods, this Pathe newsreel on Peter Thompson's win at Birkdale in 1954:

There's even a Bobby Locke sighting.

Golf.com misses the mark with this offering of nine venues that should hold the Open Championship.  I'll excerpt this one, but only because Employee No. 2 and I will be there in August:

Royal Porthcawl (Porthcawl, Wales) -- The 1995 Walker Cup site where Tiger struggled with the formidable 18th hole would give Wales a second chance at glory after the 2010 rain-soaked Ryder Cup.

The list includes several of the great links, Dornoch and Balybunion, that are in remote villages with no ability to handle the logistics of an Open.  Also included are inland courses, whereas the Open Championship is always played on a proper links.

More interesting is to identify other venues that could actually host an Open.  County Down and Lahinch?  

As for the lexicology of it all, Sir Nick confirms, to paraphrase Socrates, that he still hasn't learned that he knows nothing:

The debate over what to call the British Open/the Open Championship/the Open wages on as we approach the 146th playing of the, um, let's just call it the tournament where

they give out the claret jug to the winner. And on Tuesday, we learned that even Nick Faldo and Johnny Miller, two of golf's all-time great players and most recognizable voices, can't keep the name of golf's oldest event straight. 

During an NBC/Golf Channel teleconference, a reporter asked Miller if he ever gets tripped up by calling the tournament "the Open Championship." That's when Faldo quickly jumped in.

"The Open Championship is incorrect. It's now the Open," Faldo said, correctly pointing out the tournament's recent re-brand as simply the Open. "You see? It's gone from the British Open, the Open Championship, now it's the Open."

It's not like he's a Brit or anything.....  It's long been called The British Open over here, but never over there.  

Brandel Chamblee has some fun with the juxtaposition of the irreverent with the tweedy history of the Open Championship, including a certain Seinfeldian reference:

In 1985, The Open left Scotland for England (it does that every now and then to remind

Britain what makes it “Great”) and was played on the southern shore near the Cliffs of Dover at Royal St. George’s. As the championship Sunday was coming to a close, when the only worry was that they might run out of champagne, and the thread of the rich tapestry of The Open was playing out once again, by cracky, a streaker appeared on the 18th green. Give the man credit, streaking in the cold of Scotland has its own shortcomings; one is more apt to be seen in his full potential in warmer climes of Royal St. George’s I’m told … and the sun was out down south.

This man had to be dealt with, but nobody really wanted to put down their shepherd’s pie and do the dirty deed and the bobbies looked reluctant as they circled the naked villain. Tom Kite and Peter Jacobsen were just short of the home hole watching this dance, when Peter (does anyone else recognize the irony of someone with that name taking hold of the situation?!) horizonalized the man and then celebrated as if he had won golf’s oldest championship. I’m told Sandy Lyle later held the claret jug in the spidered light looking royal, if not yet ancient.

That's good fun for sure, and I'm glad that Brandel could spare the time from accusing Bernhard of anchoring....  But while The Open is now very much of the gentry class, its origins were thoroughly working class.  Those eight guys that showed up at Prestwick in 1860 were, to be charitable, rough trade:

But you've by now read Tommy's Honor, no?

This also happened at this year's venue:

Justin took a crack at it again, though rules about lightning, in a bottle or not, still apply.

If you haven't seen it previously, this John Huggan-Dave Shedloski Long-form item on the Henrik-Phil 2016 duel is well worth your time.  It's worthy of the length, but it still takes a back seat to the 1977 Duel in the Sun.  

The Death of Golf, Part LCVII - This story broke a few days ago:

(Reuters) - Private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC (APO.N) said on Sunday it had agreed to acquire ClubCorp Holdings Inc (MYCC.N), one of the largest owners and operators of private golf and country clubs in the United States, for $1.1 billion.

Founded in 1957, ClubCorp operates more than 200 properties, including golf and country clubs, business clubs and sports clubs across the United States, Mexico and China, serving more than 430,000 members.

But I had been reliably informed that our game is in its death throes....  I'm so confused.

That deal spurred this relatively positive take from Bloomberg:

The central thesis of that deal: Golf’s core players remain quite loyal to the sport -- and their country-club fees will spin off cash for years to come. ClubCorp, based in Dallas,

has more than 430,000 members. 

More broadly, golf has seen a resurgence in so-called avid players, those who play at least 25 rounds on a regulation course per year. The number rose to 8.8 million last year, up 400,000 from 2015, according to the National Golf Foundation. Avid players are critical to the health of the sport because they account for 80 percent of industry spending.

That chart shows some gains even among newbies.  This below corrects a number of misperceptions:

Golf courses continue to be closed -- 171 were lost on a net basis last year -- but that may not be a bad thing for the industry overall, said Tom Stine, head of Golf DataTech, a golf retail-tracking firm. The closures are a result of the natural correction in supply and demand from an overhyped era. 

Woods’ rise also coincided with a real estate boom. When the market imploded -- leading up to the financial crisis -- the golf industry suffered along with it. 

“We’re out of that adjustment period,” Stine said in an interview. “Those courses have gone away and, frankly, it’s been good for the remaining courses.” 

Despite growth in avid and new players, the total number of golfers dipped to a low of 23.8 million last year, compared with a peak of 30.6 million in 2003. Still, the golf foundation says the majority of those who left the sport were “fringe” players who weren’t very committed, according to its annual report.

It's not clear that Tiger actually created any golfers, but the game's appeal to a niche audience remains unimpaired.

Ask A Silly Question... - As Shack does with this:

Poll: Does a lead analyst need to have a major on the résumé?

Here's Geoff's take, leading to a reader poll:

With Johnny Miller back for another year, as he revealed to us in Golfweek, the game has another year of its version of McEnroe or Barkley.

It does not appear that there is yet a Johnny-like successor in the wings, with only Fox's Paul Azinger matching Johnny's level of frank, often critical commentary. Nick Faldo, lead man at CBS, also has his moments too but Johnny is clearly a special talent who still works at the job. And even better, works at not getting too close to players so that he can analyze bluntly.

As a two-time major winner, Miller does have a perceived advantage that someone like Brandel Chamblee does not enjoy as merely someone who played the PGA Tour.

OK, it's not completely frivolous, and Geoff muddies the waters with the issue of caustic commentary.  But inquiring minds want to know which were Sir Nick's moments, because I must have missed them.

It is interesting in the context of a succession plan at NBC.  Paul Azinger isn't a better analyst because Greg Norman missed a thee-footer at Inverness, but his playing career does provide the predicate for his work in the booth.  But when you focus on the resume too much, you end up with Nick Faldo.... or Greg Norman.

One can achieve that gravitas through one's work in TV, starting as an on-course reporter or the like.   Roger Maltbie would be an example, as would Feherty in a different manner entirely.  The former though is too old to be moved into the big chair and the latter seems more suited for a supporting role, leaving their master plan a mystery.  

To circle back to the original question, I would answer "No", but with the caveat that I doubt NBC would have the cujones to hire anyone to replace Miller without a similar resume.

Drainage 101 - You too can be a design geek, as Shack teaches us all about catch basins:

Shack's got more on this subject here.  But was I the only one distracted by the baseball bobbleheads in the foreground?

Yowzer! - This is just way cool for the guy:

Kurt Slattery always dreamed of playing in the John Deere Classic. Now, after some Monday-qualifying heroics, the 27-year-old assistant pro has realized that dream. 

Slattery, who played college golf at Western Illinois and now is an assistant pro at Pinnacle Country Club, was 3 under through 17 holes of Monday’s John Deere Classic qualifier at Pinnacle. At that point, Slattery figured he needed to get to 5 under to have a shot at getting into a playoff for the fourth and final spot in this week’s John Deere Classic. 

“Standing on the 18th tee when I was 3 under par, I knew I had to make eagle to do it,” Slattery told the Quad-City Times. 

He did, carding eagle at the par-5 18th to shoot 5-under 67 and get into a 7-for-1 playoff. But Slattery wasn’t done yet. He then holed a 44-yard pitch on the first playoff hole for his second straight eagle to win the playoff.

These guys are good.  Even the ones that aren't actually all that good....

Enjoy the rest of your week and I'll pop in when I can.