Weekend Wrap

Might be an abbreviated version for you ungrateful wretches, as our trip beckons....  More on that in a bit.

Firestone Fireworks - I was on the golf course yesterday afternoon, and therefore didn't see any of this:

Mark another one off for Hideki Matsuyama, who continues to win in sensational style. 

The Japanese star completed his second WGC win of the season Sunday at Firestone,

firing a brilliant bogey-free 9-under 61 to finish 16 under overall and cruise to a five-shot victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Matsuyama just had it going all day and never appeared out of sorts. Despite a reported brutal pre-round range session, he ended up not only playing well but tying the course record (held by Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal). 

As Matsuyama proved, it only matters what you take to the course. What Matsuyama brought was an early chip-in eagle at the second to get himself going. Then there was a birdie at the third and he was on his way to a front-nine 5-under 30. That moved him from two back at the start of the day to firmly in the lead. He didn’t stop there, though. Matsuyama birdied 13, 16 and 17 to reach 15 under. By the time he reached the 72nd hole, Matsuyama had a four-shot lead.

Well, I always say that the range is Vegas... you know the rest.  Brian Wacker had this concise summary of Hidecki's year:

That's Tigeresque.... unless, of course, you're Hank Haney:

Hank, it might just be time to move on.....

The USGA has told us to ignore our lyin' eyes, there has been no meaningful increase in distance since the days of the gutta percha....  Nope, nothing to see here, please kindly exit through the gift shop:

If only everyone could hit driver like Rory McIlroy. 

McIlroy awed the golf world with his driving capabilities at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this week, and for good reason: 52 of his 56 tee balls (non par-3s) traveled farther than 300 yards. (And one that came up short was only 298.) 

Of course, he ranked first in driving distance this week, averaging 328.7 yards off the tee—almost 10 yards more than Jason Day, who ranked second at 319.2 yards. 

Through the RBC Canadian Open, last week's event, Dustin Johnson leads the Tour in driving distance at 313.9 yards. 

But driving stats aren't everything. While McIlroy dominated off the tee in Ohio, Zach Johnson finished 53rd in the same category (296 yards) yet still finished 11 under and in second place, four shots ahead of McIlroy. Johnson, who also tied for third in driving accuracy, ranked second with 21 birdies, and McIlroy had 15.

Things being what they are, perhaps that Zach average of 298 will be the bit that gets through.

Shack added this little factoid:

Still, it was fun to see seven players get their season driving distance total over the 300 yard average plateau following play at Firestone and Reno. That makes 40 players averaging over 300 yards on the PGA Tour.

Forty?  And we don't even know how many drivers these guys are hitting....

Redemption Song -  It took five years, but the victim of one of the most heartbreaking losses in golf history has her major:

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) -- I.K. Kim banished the haunting memory of missing a 14-inch putt to win a major and replaced it with the sweetest sensation. 

Finally, she can call herself a major champion. 

Staked to a six-shot lead in the Women's British Open, Kim never led anyone get closer than two shots at Kingsbarns Links and sealed victory with a bold hybrid over the burn to the 17th green. She made nine pars on the back nine and closed with a 1-under 71 for a two-shot victory. 

"I cannot describe my feelings," Kim said. "I just tried to have some fun, but it wasn't fun on the back nine." 

Jodi Ewart Shadoff made her work for it by charging home with a 64 to put pressure on the 29-year-old South Korean. Kim didn't falter over an increasingly soggy course, however. She finished at 18-under 270 to capture the $487,500 prize.

She handled the disappointment so graciously that this will be a very popular win.  And she did it from the front of the pack, which is the hardest way of all.

The other news on the distaff side is the completion of rosters for the Solheim Cup:

Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Cristie Kerr, Jessica Korda, Danielle Kang, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome and Lizette Salas made the U.S team, and captain Juli Inkster added Austin Ernst and Angel Yin as wildcard picks. Kang, Ernst and Yin will make their Solheim Cup debuts. 

Carlota Ciganda, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Georgia Hall, Charley Hull, Karine Icher, Florentyna Parker, Suzann Pettersen and Mel Reid automatically qualified for the European team. Captain Annika Sorenstam added Anna Nordqvist, Caroline Masson, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Madelene Sagstrom as wildcard picks.

Not a lot of marquee names there, as the balance of power in women's golf isn't in either Europe or the U.S.  I'm sorry to be away for this event, as the combination of format and bad blood might be good fun..... But how about this odd note from the Golf.com style book?

The Solheim Cup is Aug. 18-20 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa. The U.S. won last year for the first time in three years, yet that matchup was primarily remembered for a putting controversy that took place on the final day.

 Putting controversy?  

Currying Favor - The most significant 74-74-MC evah!  From the local press' Friday game story:

Curry shot his second consecutive 4-over-par 74 on Friday in the Ellie Mae Classic at

TPC Stonebrae in Hayward. This included an even-par 35 on the back nine, his best effort of the tournament. 

He still missed the cut by a wide margin, finishing at 8-over — the cut was 3-under — but Curry followed his respectable opening round with a similarly resilient effort. He tied for 148th in the 156-man field, ahead of three pros and one amateur. (Three other players withdrew before completing 36 holes.)

More important to him, Curry avoided slapping a big, embarrassing number alongside his name.

We can all agree that he didn't go Jerry Rice on us, and acquitted himself very well.  Not competitive at this level, but folks loved it.

The Tour Confidential panel drew a Steph query on the first tee:

Michael Bamberger: It was just great to see Steph Curry out there. His play was excellent, he has so much energy and brings out energy in others. There had to be people

watching golf for the first time only because he was playing. I think he should be very, very selective about future invitations. Web.com is one thing—it needs all the attention it can get. The PGA Tour is another. But you have to think he's going to be around the game for decades to come, and it will do a lot for him, and vice-versa. 

Jeff Ritter: Steph drew eyeballs, played well and had a blast. What's not to like? Too bad he has to continue that pesky basketball career that interferes with his golf game. I agree with MB that he should be selective with his professional appearances, but let's do this one again next year.

Sensible, we don't want Steph Curry looking up to Michelle Wie.....  Shack actually has a better suggestion:

I'd vote for Curry taking a couple of invites to quality amateur events during his summers and building a golf career that way, interspersed with some prestige appearances.

We can all agree on this one:

2. Grow the game with Steph? You bet. The tournament handed out about 10 times as many media credentials as it did the year before, and social media was buzzing during and after his rounds. Yet none of the action was broadcast on TV or streamed online. Missed opportunity? [Editor's note: A Tour media contact said it wasn't originally scheduled to be broadcast and that there wasn't enough time to put one together after Curry entered.] 

Bamberger: It wasn't on TV? I saw so many clips, and followed the rounds on GOLF.com, I felt like it was. Maybe the contractual issues get too complicated, but it would have been a great event to show on TV, and to show the talent that exists at golf's AAA level. 

Ritter: Huge, huge miss. Gotta think the Tour won't make the same mistake next year if Steph returns.

The good part about no live coverage is that it left folks wanting more....  I think this worked out about perfectly for all involved....  Steph gets tones of good will points for putting his game under the microscope and exceeding expectations, and the game benefits from a name-brand millennial demonstrating its appeal.

But the effects will be fleeting, and what more will be gained from repeating it next year?

But South African Dawie Van der walt apparently was skeptical of Steph's efforts, but was prepared to make good on his wager:

Pro Tip:  You're gonna need a lot more salt on that....

Quail Hunting - I'm not a fan of taking majors to regular Tour venues, but let's keep an open mind.  Ron Whitten takes a deep dive on next week's venue:

On the afternoon of Sunday, May 8, 2016, even before James Hahn had defeated Roberto 

The Green Mile in B&W.

Castro on the first hole of sudden death to win the Wells Fargo Championship at Charlotte's Quail Hollow Club, crews were busy on the front nine, preparing the course for the 2017 PGA Championship. Not by trimming tree limbs or spreading fertilizer, but by removing all the sand from bunkers and preparing the greens to be gassed, stripping all the grass from them. The next day, bulldozers moved in to rip apart three holes on the front nine and one on the back. Chainsaws were soon fired up, and clusters of tall pines came tumbling down. 

Were they mad? The PGA, to be played Aug. 10-13, was only 15 months away. The year preceding a major championship is supposed to be spent tightening fairways, growing rough and fine-tuning operations, not reinventing the place. 

"This was not a gamble," says Johnny Harris, president of Quail Hollow. "This was a calculated risk."

Yeah, that's a distinction without a difference....  Here Whitten provides some inside baseball:

Eight years later, Tim Finchem, PGA Tour commissioner at the time, called again, asking Harris if he'd be willing to forgo his ironclad time slot and move again, if only for a year, to make room for the 2015 WGC Match-Play in San Francisco. Sure, Harris said, but only if you'll award us the Presidents Cup. "I think we can make that happen," Finchem replied, and in early 2015 the tour announced that Quail Hollow would host the 2021 Presidents Cup. "We'd actually been looking at Charlotte for a Presidents Cup for some time," Finchem says. "Johnny's operation had always run so smoothly that it was an easy decision." 

Don't be surprised, or alarmed, if Harris and Fazio decide to perform a few more nips and tucks to Quail Hollow during the summer of 2020. The second hole is a bit awkward, and two par 3s, the sixth and 13th, lack some of the pizzazz of other holes. Also, expect the course to be re-routed for that event, so that The Green Mile falls midway in the back nine, assuring that nearly every match will reach that exciting stretch.

Meh!  One of the few benefits of going to a regular Tour venue is that we know the track.... So, by all means do change the routing.

One of the stranger aspects of modern life is the PGA's penchant for southern venues in August....  Think Kiawah, Atlanta Athletic Club and now Charlotte.  I'll be overseas, but I know that Charley Hoffman will rock his sweat-soaked golf shirt, just as Tim Herron did in years gone by....

Those TC panelists were asked first for storylines:

Bamberger: I'm eager to see how Rory plays there, to see if he can get the various pieces together.

Shipnuck: I agree that Rory and Jordan are the headliners but I'm wondering if DJ can salvage his year. Back in the runup to the Masters he looked utterly unbeatable. You only get that kind of momentum a few times in your career, if you're lucky, and Dustin has been a broken man ever since slipping on the stairs. One great week at the PGA can change everything, though. Here's hoping. 

Sens: I'll twin two storylines and go with the Rory/Rickie combo. Both have won at Quail. They even squared off in a playoff. They have history on the course, and a lot hovering over them as the event approaches. The best to never win a major mantle may not rightfully belong to Rickie, but he's always in that conversation, and the pressure that comes with it just keeps growing. And then there's the swelling expectations around Rory to finally get back into peak form. And they'll be playing in the same grouping the first two days.

Then their picks, winner and dark horse:

Bamberger: Rory to win, Pat Perez as my dark horse, 11 under as a winning score. I'm not good at this, by the way. Not at all. 

Ritter: I think it'll be a big hitter since the course has been strengthened and it's supposed to rain off and on all week. Maybe this is Fowler's time—he has a title at Quail from the Wachovia/Wells Fargo. I also like Rory, Belgian Bomber Thomas Pieters and dark horse Tony Finau to contend.

Shipnuck: I guess I'll take Dustin, just for emphasis. Dark horse: Brian Harman.

Sens: Winner: Spieth becomes the youngest man to complete the career Grand Salame. Dark horse: Xander Schauffele, who has been putting together a Rookie of the Year-worthy season.

Far less love for Jordan than you'd expect, given the history to be made.  Sean Zak picked QH member Webb Simpson, though I think he had his tongue firmly pressed against his cheek at that moment.  

Do scan through the TC for their remembrances of Phil and Ernie, both of whom ar playing their 100th major this week. 

The Trip - We depart tomorrow night for London, where we'll be spending two days.  For new readers, this is the portion of the proceedings where regularly-scheduled programming gives way to a travelogue.  Please follow along as the golf should be interesting, as should the travel experiences.

We fly down to Cornwall on Friday, and the first golf isn't until Saturday at historic St. Enodoc.  We'll have lots of photos and hopefully video as well, as we explore Wales and SW England.  And no doubt lots of Employee No. 2 mugging for the camera....

I'm not sure about the schedule in the near term....  If I'm productive today, there might be time for blogging tomorrow, but we'll see.  Check back often as we make our way through the links of Wales.