Weekend Wrap

And quite the weekend it was...

Scenes From the Bayou - The Tour's annual pas de deux in New Orleans was won bt a former Gator.... Really, you can't make this stuff up:

AVONDALE, La. – Billy Horschel was lining up his birdie putt on No. 18 Sunday when a large alligator came crawling out of the water about 20 feet away from the green.

Only one trophy seems....unwise.

There is no shortage of local flavor at the team-format Zurich Classic. 

Horschel narrowly missed the 31-foot putt. Partner Scott Piercy’s par putt from inside 3 feet circled around the cup for a moment before dropping to secure the win. 

“It wanted to take a victory lap,” Horschel joked. “Just wanted to take a little trip around the hole once or twice to soak it in.”

You might have heard of the major change for this year's installment.... No, not the walk-up music, but the format swap, playing alternate shot the final day.  Ironically, there was this guy that didn't like that change, a guy who goes by Billy Ho:

“When I was first told they switched the format I was against it,” Billy Horschel said. “I

said, ‘Why would we do that?’” 

On one hand, it would eliminate the kind of fireworks that four-ball can deliver with birdies coming from everywhere. On Saturday while playing four-ball, nine teams shot 63 or better, including that of Horschel and Scott Piercy, who were one of two teams to tally a 61. 

There was, of course, a reason behind the change. 

“When I thought more about it I was like, ‘You know what? That’s actually really good,’ ” Horschel continued. “Because the better players, better teams, obviously are going to rise on Sunday.”

He may have had it right the first time, but our Billy never fails to amuse.  

Let me first stipulate that I saw very little of the week's golf.... Just a few minutes on Thursday-Friday, and the last ninety minutes or so of yesterday's coda.  As much as I applaud Zurich and the Tour for seizing the format initiative, I must truthfully confess that I found yesterday's broadcast unwatchable.  Why was that?

CBS was in full soporific mode for sure, but that's a weekly occurrence.  Jim Nancy-Boy was otherwise engaged, but it took me 45 minutes to realize that.  Was it the dreary leaderboard?  It just seemed lifeless and forced, and I picked up my book to fill the attention void.  To paraphrase Nixon, Richard, not Cynthia, when you've lost Unplayable Lies, you've lost America...

Ryan Lavner seemed to agree, with these constructive suggestions:

If the PGA Tour truly wants to Live Under Par, it needs to go even further with its one-off event. Hold a partner draft. Set up a jazz band on the range. Order a fog machine. Switch to a scramble setup on Saturday. 

Go all-out.

I'm guessing that he's kidding about the fog machine... 

As for the walk-up music, Shack's header tells us what he thought:

 Walk-up Music: It's Not Just A Way To Play...It's A Way To Be...Lame

If you blast Metallica in the woods?

My phone was ringing off the hook with non-golfers totally engaged by this weekend's walk up music, so I saw little of the Zurich Classic. 

Actually that's not true. The only people who saw wealthy golfers take practice swings to music were in person or watching on Golf Channel. And they all really like golf already.

Lost in the background noise is the point Geoff makes above, that the only place to see it was on Golf Channel's early day coverage, and that's only seen by golf dead-enders and hostages.

Ryan Lavner had this:

The 10 seconds of walk-up music was a good start for Tour types that are resistant to change, but the latest iteration of the Zurich Classic was awkward. Embrace it fully, or it’ll continue to feel like the Tour is trying too hard to be hip.

Ryan buddy, just because you don't want to Live Under Par™,  don't be raining on the Tour's parade.

Our weekly Tour Confidential panel was asked to opine on the week, as well as to amuse with their own choices:

3. Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy teamed up to win the Zurich Classic in what was the second straight year the event used a team format. Two-man duos that advanced to the weekend were also greeted with entrance music on the 1st tee (they picked it out themselves). Reviews were mixed. A pat on the back to the Tour for trying something different, or did their attempt to liven up the sport fall flat? Oh, and what would your entrance music be?

Ritter: They tried something different, and hey, it got us talking. Did the sight of PGA Tour pros head-banging and air-guitaring on the 1st tee make golf seem young and cool? It did not. But they had fun and I respect the effort. As for my own music, I'll go with "Alive" by Pearl Jam. The kids on Tour won't know what hit em. 

Dethier: Gotta echo John Wood here: props for trying and fun to watch, although the whole walk-up thing felt awkward at points. I do like the alternate-shot final round, but wouldn't mind exploring even more formats. Gimme the starts of "Intro" by The Xx or "Pure Grinding" by Avicii (gone too soon) but there's one key here: keep the music playing during the shot! Otherwise the drive itself (and ensuing stroll down the fairway) is a bit of a letdown.

It also exposes the principal problems with all of these Hip to be Cool initiatives, it alienates the core audience.  At least I've heard of Pearl Jam, but Avicii?  Brian Fallon?  I may need to quit blogging and get out more....

And Mikey Bams is just showing off here:

Bamberger: The event's format is so good and so rooted in golf it really doesn't need anything else. It was hokey. If I were required to have entrance music, and if my scoring average were about 25 shots better than my current scoring average, I'd be inclined to walk in to Erik Satie's "Gymnopedie No. 1," which I find generally gets me in the mood.

In the mood for what?

Horses For Courses -  Do we get results, or what?  I watched quite a bit of the ladies' event from Lake Merced, and can't tell you how much I enjoyed last night's denouement.  I frequently refer to myself as the '62 Mets of fantasy golf, and my gift was on display this week.

No sooner had I declared Lydia Ko's career behind us than this happens:

DALY CITY, Calif. (AP) — Lydia Ko hit a 3-wood to 3 feet for eagle to finish off Minjee Lee on the first hole of a playoff Sunday in the chilly LPGA MEDIHEAL

Championship. 

Ko won her 15th LPGA Tour title and first since July 2016, a 43-event stretch marked by changes in instructors, caddies and equipment and a large weight loss. 

"It's a huge relief because people are like, 'Hey, because of this you're not winning, because of that you're not winning. Actually, I tried to stay away from all the media and everything that was being said about me and tried to just focus on what was going on in front." 

Five days after turning 21, the New Zealander won for the third time at Lake Merced after taking the Swinging Skirts LPGA at the tree-lined layout in 2014 and 2015.

I don't imagine many of you watched it, as LPGA ratings are typically measured in the low teens.  But what a great week for the Tour That Can't Win™, in all respects. Kudos to Mike Whan for finding a way back to Lake Merced, a wonderful venue that's a perfect fit for the girls.  Great visuals all week, an actual West Coast swing when combined with last week's event at Wilshire, and a prime time TV window that allows for actual viewers.

Before we get to Lydia herself, let's acknowledge that Mediheal, or is it MEDIHEAL, is one horribly awkward name for an event.  I liked that the prior week they got LA into the event title, and wonder if this event might do the same.  They do use the Golden Gate Bridge in the event logo, so clearly they want some stronger tie to the locale.  And the sponsor also results in an additional entry for those Strange Trophy slideshows:

Egads, that's just creepy. 

I didn't realize that The Good Doctor was involved with Lake Merced until Shack posted this old photo:

Here's the history from the club's website:

In the late 1920′s the course was redesigned by the legendary Dr. Alister MacKenzie. His signature “cloud shaped” bunkering style dotted the course as did many intricate strategic choices for every level of player. Naturally, the club was a much-sought out venue for amateur and professional competition.

The insufferable purist in me would love more detail on how much of his work remains intact, as well as the results of their involvement with Open Doctor Rees Jones.  Maybe next year....

As for Lydia, Randall Mell is all in:

Lydia Ko looks as if she’s back! It sure sounded as if she’s back. That 3-wood she nearly holed from 234 yards into the 18th green on the first playoff hole of the Mediheal Championship ignited a roar Sunday heard around the world of golf. 

The greatest teen phenom in the history of the women’s game ended her 21-month victory drought in spectacular fashion, with practically a tap-in eagle. Her 15th LPGA title just a few days after turning 21 should bring back more than the acclaim she enjoyed as an LPGA star. It should bring back the confidence that made her so formidable.

Shack calls is the SOTYSF:

It's early, but given the circumstances, Lydia Ko's 3-wood on 18 at Lake Merced in sudden death is the clubhouse leader for 2018's best to date.

In a playoff with Minjee Lee--winner of the U.S. Junior Girls at the same course--Ko went for the 18th in two. But it was the combination of pressure, picking three-wood off the tight LMCC fairways and hitting over an overhanging cypress branch that makes this really special.

Easy there, Geoff, have you been drinking?  You're well aware that Brandell Chamblee called DJ's wind and terrain-assisted drive at Kapalua the greatest shot of all time, and that trumps your SOTYSF equivocation....

But on the larger issue of Lydia's career arc, color me skeptical.  Let's go back to the videotape:

More than 20 yards behind Lee in the fairway on the par-5 18th in the playoff, Ko hit a 3-wood that cleared the tree limbs on the right, landed in front of the green and rolled inches by on the right side.

"I knew that I needed to catch my 3-wood really solid," Ko said. "I think the big thought process for me was, ‘Hey, try and hit a 3-wood like I did it on the 15th hole.' I was able to kind of copy that and I heard it almost tried to go in for a 2, which obviously wasn't running through my mind."

You guys know how my mind works by now, to me the most important bit is that first sentence, being more than twenty yards shorter than her competitor.  Minjee is a good player, averaging 264 yards off the tee, placing her 26th in that category.

Lydia, by way of comparison, averages a mere 250 yards off the tee, placing her 113th in that category.  And lest you think she's make sup for it in accuracy, she's 79th in that category.  Her putting stats remain very strong, though she's predictably only middle-of-the-pack in GIR's.

The obvious question is whether her short-game skills can make up for the distance handicap off the tee....  You might say that the did sufficiently to keep her the No. 1 player in the world for a long stretch of time....  But the last two years have been quite the struggle, and there's just so little room for error.  She had to stuff a three-wood to win, but how many times can she do that?

But, on the other hand, how do you not love this girl?  Even when she was struggling, she was skipping down fairways with that infectious smile on her face....I'm not terribly optimistic about her prospects, but I'll sure be rooting for her.

Time is a bit short at my end, so I'll cover this last item and catch up on all else tomorrow.  This has to be music to the ears of Mike Whan:

The positive reviews from players at the Zurich Classic since its change from an

individual stroke-play event to a two-man team competition have led to talk about possibly other team events being played on the PGA Tour, including a potential mixed event in conjunction with the LPGA. It’s an idea that has had the support of LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, and now has a renewed endorsement from his PGA Tour counterpart, Jay Monahan. 

“We’re very interested in getting the men and women together inside the ropes in the same week and in the same competition,” Monahan told reporters at TPC Louisiana on Sunday. “I think that’s something you’ll see in the future. It’s just a matter of time. That’s really exciting and interesting.” 

Exactly when in the future, however, is unclear. Monahan and his team in Ponte Vedra Beach are in the midst of finalizing a new PGA Tour schedule that would go into effect in the 2018-’19 season. The new schedule would alter when a handful of traditional events are played and move up the finish of the FedEx Cup playoffs to late August or early September. A mixed-team event has not been a serious part of those discussions.

It would be quite the coup for the gals to share the stage with the PGA lads, and interesting to see whether the boys would embrace it.  Tiger-Cheyenne, anyone?

All I can see are the scheduling complications in the midst of schedule contraction, but he said it out loud.

Your Friday Frisson

Lots to talk about today, so we'll give you lotsto talk about with your playing partners this weekend.

Zurich Zaniness - I didn't see any of it, as I was on the golf course yesterday afternoon., but the old guys seemed to hold up pretty well:

AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Chez Reavie and Lucas Glover teamed to shoot a 12-under 60 on Thursday for a share of the Zurich Classic lead with China's Zhang Xinjun and Dou

Zecheng. 

Reavie and Glover each had six birdies in the best-ball format, pushing through soggy weather early in the round before conditions cleared at TPC Louisiana. Zhang and Dou birdied four of their final five holes. 

Tony Finau-Daniel Summerhays, Chris Paisley-Tommy Fleetwood, J.J. Henry-Tom Hoge, Michael Kim-Andrew Putnam, Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown and Troy Merritt-Brendon de Jonge were tied for third at 62.

I didn't realize until now that the walk-up songs are only being used on the weekend.... The leaders will be arriving to the dulcet tones of Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls, assuming of course that they survive.  

Something else I didn't notice previously, a second team drafting from the retirement list, the pairing of Jim Furyk with David Duval.  The later explains:

And that could have been the extent of his season (save for his annual appearance at The

Open), but he was drawn to the idea of the team format at the Zurich, to the idea of playing with Jim Furyk, with whom he’s been friends for the past 32 years, dating to their days in junior golf. So Duval reached out, asking the U.S. Ryder Cup captain if he wanted to team up, for old times’ sake. 

“This was about being with a friend, reuniting, having our wives together for a few days,” said Duval, who estimated that he’s played more than 100 practice rounds with Furyk over the years. “Expectation-wise, I don’t know what they are for me. I don’t get to participate out here and compete.”

In a mean-spirited slight, they are omitted from this list of walk-up songs, so here's hoping that they make the cut and force two young guys to listen to Englebert on Saturday.  I don't especially like their chances in alternate shot, but miracles happen...

Ryan Lavner suggests another team event, though I'd argue that a hostage photo is hardly a major selling point:

AVONDALE, La. – The revamped Zurich Classic is already such a smashing success that it naturally leads to another question: Is there room for one more team event on the

PGA Tour schedule? 

“It’d have to be something unique and not really out there already,” Billy Horschel said.

Agreed, so it’s time for the PGA and LPGA tours to bring back a mixed-team event.

The two tours previously sponsored a team event for nearly 30 years, the JCPenney Classic, but it hasn’t been played since 1999. When the PGA Tour announced a “strategic alliance” with the LPGA two years ago, one of its core missions was to showcase the deep talent pool and lift both tours to new heights. There’s no better way to do that than to combine forces for an event – especially with the PGA Tour about to unveil a major schedule shakeup and reduce a portion of the fall season. 

The field here at the Zurich is proof that there’s a willingness among the players to try something new. 

The New Orleans-area stop has never been a must-play for Tour types; the tournament is hosted on a nondescript TPC course and sandwiched between the Masters and The Players during a slow part of the schedule. And yet this is the first time in seven months that all four reigning major champions are in the same event. It’s the strongest field the Zurich has ever had, and if the tournament offered world-ranking points – more on that later – the strength of field would be identical to the Genesis Open, which anchors the West Coast swing.

It's an appealing idea for sure, especially for the bump it would give the LPGA, but I estimate it's chances of happening at plus or minus zero percent.  This would be perfect for the silty season, but we no longer have the luxury of silliness....

I particularly like the idea of a Jordan Spieth-Christie Kerr pairing, as long as there are no microphones in the vicinity.

Shane Ryan gets way too confessional and attributes far too much significance to these ditties:

Some of the themes are a little more fun. Two of the oldest players, Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly, chose “As Good As I Once Was,” which has the perfect amount of self-

deprecating humor. Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson chose “Gold” by Spandau Ballet because of their Olympic feats (though I might have chosen this one to include Henrik, even though it might be the worst entrance song ever). 

Brandon Harkins and Lanto Griff, about whom I know nothing, chose Drake’s “Started from the Bottom” in what I like to think is a winking nod to their own low status among the field. Justin Thomas and Bud Cauley, chose the Lion King song. The choice of “Working for the Weekend” by D.A. Points and Kyle Thompson makes for a clever golf pun. And the silver medal for funniest choice goes to Cody Gribble and John Peterson, who went with George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” because who doesn’t get worked up to a competitive frenzy frenzy with … a melancholy saxophone solo? 

And we have to recognize the bizarre choices, too: Keith Mitchell and Stephan Jaeger opting for the obscure synthy techno song “Pizza Guy,” and Tony Finau’s rolling with “Do Wa Ditty,” which, per the PGATour.com’s Mike McAllister, he apparently chose without consulting his partner, Daniel Summerhays.

But the best moment of the day was provided by the Henrik Stenson-Justin Rose pairing, though you have to know your golf history:

Justin Rose isn't afraid to show a little skin. 

With his ball half-submerged in the pond during the Zurich Classic's opening round, 

Henrik's partner is no delicate Rose....

Rose and partner Henrik Stenson surveyed the scene before making the fateful decision: Rose was going for it, even if it meant ditching his trousers for the shot. As he undressed pondside, Stenson blocked the cameras in jest, pretending to guard his teammate's modesty. 

"My partner showed me what you've got to do," Rose said of Henrik Stenson. "Remember Doral? He's not scared of taking his pants off, so he said, "get in there."

Our reference is of course to the time when Henrik went Full Monty for us:

I'm only sorry that Fanny had to see it...

Shack v. Brandel - Given his time zone advantage, it's rare that I get to an item Before Geoff, but such was the case with Brandel's recent offering.  You know it's going to end well for Brandel, beginning with the quote at the top of Shack's website:

Rough grass is of no value for protecting danger points; it has no effect in keeping people straight, but merely prolongs the length of time players are in the danger zone.

ALISTER MACKENZIE

Geoff also adeptly plays the irony card:

Irony isn't his thing, otherwise Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee might even find it funny that he's dusting off his sticks for a competitive comeback with the hope of playing the Old Course during this year's Senior Open Championship (John Strege reports).

Yet the same analyst who so eloquently lamented the disappearance of Alister MacKenzie design features at Augusta National just seven years ago, who advocated bifurcation regularly not long ago in hopes of allowing for classic designs to matter, now blames Alister MacKenzie's design philosophy for a range of things, including potentially "damaging" the modern professional game. 

In quite the contradictory column, Chamblee says elite players would return to smaller driver heads and spinning balls to shape the balls into...ribbon like fairways lined with thick rough. Except MacKenzie--supported by rogues like Bobby Jones and Ben Crenshaw--had the audacity to channel the Old Course and spread that who whole fun/width/strategy message.

And also continues his imagery hot streak:

It's really quite a bizarre article from Brandel,one in which he presents but mostly fails to make arguments to support his case.  The callout of MaKenzie surpises because his design philosophy of width has been embraced by the current generation of minimalist architects, including, Coore/Crenshaw, Doak, Hanse and others.

Certainly there's a case to be made that we should give elite players less room given the increased driving distance and lower spin rates from modern drivers and golf balls.  But the premise that by narrowing playing corridors would induce players to voluntarily choose higher spinning balls and smaller clubheads is delusional.

Bubba, An Appreciation - I've always had a soft spot for Bubba, and I'm not really sure why.  Partially it's because he plays a different game than anyone else out there...  But personally as well.  He's an awkward sort fumbling his way through the world, for sure, but he seemingly tries to stretch himself and apologizes readily when he misfires.  

It turns out that one of my favorite players, no mancrush jokes, please, feels the same.  First, about how he plays:

When I first played with him, I thought he was having a laugh. I couldn’t see how

anyone could play the way he does. I mean, he hits 30-40-yard slices off the tee. Even now, after playing with him maybe 100 times, it still surprises me how far he can hit that slice. He plays the game like no one else does today. It’s incredible. Yet he knows exactly what he is doing. He seems to have that huge right-to-left ball flight under control. And he never hits a “normal” shot. That would be boring for him. 

Maybe the most remarkable thing about Bubba is that he plays the way he does with equipment that is designed to hit high draws. Ask just about anyone on tour and they will tell you how hard it is to shape shots with the modern ball. But Bubba does it anyway. I think that is why his swing appears so extreme. He is really trying to move the ball as far as he can. He’s a long-hitting Corey Pavin, who was maybe the best shot-maker on Tour 20 years ago.

Wacky comparison that, given that Corey was the shortest hitter out there, and Bubba is...well, not short.

But also personally:

It’s safe to say that, from a distance at least, not many people in golf are quite sure what to make of Bubba Watson.

He certainly has a “love him or hate him” sort of image, which is something I have always found both understandable and unfair. I know Bubba better than most guys on

Tour – we share the same management – so I am pretty well qualified to analyse his quirky personality. I’ve spent a lot of time with him and played many practice rounds in his company. 

At first, I must admit, he was a little strange to deal with. Bubba tends to hold himself back until he knows you are genuine. But once he makes that realisation, he is fantastic to be around. He’s witty and quick with the banter. And he loves playing golf more than he loves doing anything else. 

Still, you have to take the time to get to know him. There is some effort involved. I took that time and made that effort, to the point where I realised that I really liked him. I defend him to anyone who doesn’t feel that way and I really enjoy playing with him, whether in practice or competition. The joy he exhibits playing golf is part of his genius. He has so much fun, even when it might not look as if that is the case.

Remember the famous players' poll that had Rickie as the most over-rated Tour player?  Bubba was next in line, which I though had it exactly wrong.  Overcoming his upbringing to win two majors and a slew of Tour events, makes him, to my mind, the biggest overachiever out there.

I Blame Trump -  Or perhaps it's the Russians...  But far too many golfers behaving badly, though they've mostly been offshore:

Two foursomes were reportedly involved in a golf course brawl that involved weapons and resulted in broken bones. And if you guessed this ugly incident stemmed from slow play, you guessed right. 

According to Birmingham Live, police responded to the fight on Friday at Greenway Hall Golf Club in Stockton Brook (England), racing onto the course in golf carts to keep things from getting worse. However, a Staffordshire Police spokesperson said "bones had been broken" by the time they got there.

That's bones, plural?

Other Golf Course Risks - Yanno who else has been acting like animals on golf course... Yup, actual animals.  Josh Sens provides a how-to guide for dealing with such risks:

The Hazard: Geese 

How to Handle: When dealing with an angry, airborne goose, one thing to do is duck. That's not for wordplay purposes. It's to avoid getting pecked, or whacked by wings or webbed feet. Don't drop to the ground, though, Levin says. You want to appear at least somewhat threatening, even if you're feeling like a wimp. Look the goose in the eye and, above all, don't panic. No running. No screaming. No swatting. No swinging. It'll escalate the situation. “Staying calm is pretty good advice for any encounter, animal or human,” Levin says. Save the duck, duck goose jokes for later.

 This advice seems sound, unless you're not acting"

The Hazard: Mountain lions 

How to Handle: Look big and very much alive, Levin says. Throw a beer can. Climb on top of a golf cart. Wave your golf club. If attacked, fight for your life. “Do not play dead,” Levin says. “You'll be dinner.”

Remember, you don't have to outrun the mountain lion, you only have to outrun that other members of your group.

Short Takes - Zurich isn't the only team event for professional golfers:

LPGA Tour star Stacy Lewis is expecting her first child

It's the 21st century, so we know now what causes that.

Now for the hard part:

Have New Course, Need Sponsor: Memorial Park In, GC Of Houston Out

As the Houston Open tries to remain on the PGA Tour schedule where it's been since 1946, Golf Club of Houston is out as the host venue. 

The Houston Business Journal's Jack Witthaus reports on the potential move to the downtown muni going forward. (A Memorial Park change in operator to the Houston Golf Association has been proposed.) 

The move to Memorial Park would return the PGA Tour to a course it last played in 1963. Even if no sponsor is found for 2018, let's hope this leads to a long term goal of saving the event and carrying on the Houston Golf Association's efforts to refurbish the Houston city courses.

It's curious how this is playing out.  Their schedule slot the week before The Master has already been promised to San Antonio, and the schedule needs to contract by 3-4 events.  Gotta be hard to sell the sponsorship opportunity amid the smell of death.

Mark your calendars, The Big Cat has announced his schedule:

No surprise there.... One assumes that he'll also go to Jack's place, I hear word that he's had some success there, and that will be it until Shinnecock.  One would like to see him go to some new venues, but that's not his style.

Have a good weekend.

Thursday Threads

Another slow day, but we'll make of it what we can.

Zurich InZanity - Kevin Casey has the definitive list of walk-up music, which Shack summarizes thusly:

Zurich Walk-Up Warning: Metallica Leader In Clubhouse, But Varner/Garrigus Lead In Most Clever Division

Four teams chose Metallica, which hardly seems conducive to a silky-smooth backswing...  But talk about burying the lede, three of them chose Enter Sandman, which should have been on the excluded list after Mariano's retirement.  Show some originality, boys....

The incidence of hip-hop is deeply troubling, as are the many "artists" of which your humble blogger is blissfully ignorant.  Lil Pump?  

As for this one....

Harold Varner III/Robert Garrigus 

Ebony and Ivory 

Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

Varner seems a bit low on the Ebony scale, but they don't get more Ivory than Garrigus.  Still, I'd probably prefer Kendrick Lamar to that treacly mess....

And for those with an extremely high threshold for pain, Shack links to this regrettable video.

Balls, Said The Queen: I don't know what he's smoking, but I do hope he brought enough to share:

Spieth said he didn’t look at any leaderboards that Sunday at Augusta National.

Beginning the round nine shots off the lead, he just wanted to play loose and go as low as possible. 

He nearly pulled off one of the most remarkable comebacks in major championship history, finishing just two shots behind winner Patrick Reed. Since he was oblivious to it all in real time, Spieth went back and watched the Sunday coverage. He came away thinking that round could have been even more special. 

“I actually thought I truly could have shot 59 without doing much more other than making a few more putts,” Spieth said Wednesday. “I put myself in opportunities on each hole to shoot 59 that day, which is really, really cool.”

By a few more he means five more.... He shot 64 on Sunday at Augusta, which is pretty damn good in my book.  But it didn't resemble a 59 in any reasonable analysis.

And then this:

Spieth said he wanted to learn from the film review. The three-time major winner felt like his swing held up at Augusta National better than it ever has under the gun. He was impressed with how well he hit the driver, especially late in the round when he could sense that he actually had a chance to win the tournament.

You mean like on No. 18?  Yanno, the one that left you 350 yards out?  I get that these guys need to saty positive, but WTF! 

Tiger 2.0 - Or should that be 4.0?  There have been a number of Tiger-as-actual-human-being stories recently, most of which I haven't felt compelled to blog.  There was the meeting with the Parkland survivor at the Honda, for instance, and one at the Masters we'll get so presently.  It's nice to se ehim reaching out, but there's also the sense of Steiny pulling the strings just out of the camera frame.

But, whatever the motivation, we can all agree that we're glad this one happened:

A man who fulfilled a dream to meet Tiger Woods at the Masters earlier this month died of cancer on Monday, his daughter announced on Twitter. 

Shane Caldwell, who was living with stage 4 lung cancer after having survived two bouts with colon cancer, had the opportunity to meet Woods just prior to the opening round of the Masters at Augusta National on April 5.

Which leads nicely into today's story:

Woods gave a junior clinic on Tuesday at his home course, Medalist GC, in Jupiter, Fla., and one of the attendees came all the way from Nepal: 18-year-old Pratima Sherpa. 

ESPN chronicled the day, and Sherpa is quite a story. She has lived her entire life in a maintenance shed off the third hole at a golf club in Nepal, as her parents work on the course's grounds crew. Through that humble upbringing, Sherpa has grown up around the game and is hoping to become Nepal's first professional female golfer.

Is it real or is it Memorex?  You make the call....

Stormin' Norman -  Another ode to the U. of Oregon's Norman Xiong:

But then they announced Norman Xiong – a 14-year-old man-child, decked head-to-toe in Nike gear, pushing 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. In the span of a few seconds, he

nonchalantly pegged it, waggled his club and then smoked a 330-yard drive, center cut.

“When you evaluate, you’re looking for a moment of clarity, like, Wow,” Martin says, “and I had that from the very first shot.” 

“For his age, it was just so massively different – like that’s the real deal, right there,” Martin says. “I didn’t leave his side. It was selfish, but I just loved watching him play. There was a joy about him, and it was easy. I couldn’t stop watching.” 

Xiong’s play during his sophomore season has been so awe-inspiring that college coaches and players are whispering that they’re competing against a future world No. 1. Blessed with a unique combination of power and touch, humbleness and swagger, he’s the most tantalizing 19-year-old prospect in golf since … well, that’s up for debate.

 The NCAA's are just around the corner....

Brandel, Unplugged - Frequently wrong, but never in doubt, Brandel Chamblee pens a bizarre homage to driving accuracy.  I mean, truly bizarre....

The top-five players in the world (Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Jon

Rahm and Justin Rose) rank 128th, 126th, 108th, 127th and 100th, respectively, in driving accuracy. The top-five players in the world are pitiful at what Ben Hogan called the single most important shot in golf. Hogan looked at his target through a scope, these players use a scattergun. Yes, I know we now have something called strokes gained: off the tee, but given the current status of the game that is just a metric to tell us who is the longest, straightest and most crooked.

The hardest thing to do in golf is to hit the ball long AND straight.

So, if that's the hardest thing to do in the game, you're probably glad that we have that metric to measure it?   But, in a plot twist I didn't see coming, it's all Dr. Mackenzie's fault:

The most popular golf course architect remains Alister MacKenzie, a man who died over 80 years ago. MacKenzie’s guiding philosophy was to build courses that brought the greatest pleasure to the greatest number and his work, aesthetic gems like Cypress Point and Augusta National, built on ocean cliffs and on a former nursery farm, have gained immense and lasting fame.

But perhaps more enduring, and I argue more damaging to the professional game, is his philosophy of design to appeal to the greatest number.

Wanting to imitate links golf, MacKenzie favored little rough, few fairway bunkers, the imitation of nature for aesthetic appeal and rolling greens and surrounds. Testing professional golfers was never the primary objective. Understandable given that when MacKenzie was designing golf courses the game was, besides being much harder than it is now, relatively new in the United States. Making it more popular was the goal.

OK, we're all struggling with how to contain these beasts on Tour, but given how few have actually played Augusta National or Cypress Point, I'm thinking that trashing the Good Doctor is a red herring.  Besides, Macdonald would be the better target for his ire, or perhaps Dornoch-bred Donald Ross.

Having taken Mackenzie to the woodshed, he then turns to rehabilitating the unlamented Joe Dey:

“From the moment I met him I could tell he was in charge of the game of golf,” Jack Nicklaus once said about Dey. 

Dey shepherded golf in the United States and almost single-handedly instituted a uniform code of rules for the USGA and the R&A and helped start five USGA championships and four international team competitions. Beyond that, he was the man in charge of setting up the courses for the U.S. Open.

His course setups were not built around consensus, they were driven by one simple overriding philosophy: to find the one player who was most in control of his emotions, mind and golf shots. U.S. Opens were often punishing to the best players and unforgiving, both off of the tee and around the green. There was no thought to the recovery, which is by definition bowing to the next shot. U.S. Opens were about great execution of the shot at hand, right here and now. The demands of precision were intimidating but they made the best players think. Hogan, in particular, thought longer and harder than anyone about the demands of a U.S. Open, and conquering them.

Egads, does anyone remember those U.S. Opens?  They were dreary, one-dimensional affairs at best, but Brandel must be an Andy North fan.

Look, it's entirely reasonable to discuss the course set-up and other issues, and he's not only one that wants the USGA to return to twenty-yard wide fairways and 6 inch rough.  But while he notes that it's not the players at fault, he seems to have troubling grasping this cause-and-effect thing:

Because golf course setups have become far more forgiving – owing to the MacKenzie philosophy, complaints and suggestions of the players and to the social media chorus that we want more birdies ­– players seek to launch shots as high as they can, with as little spin as they can, with as long of a driver as they can handle. Distance has become a means to an end so much, that many are crying for a roll back of the ball when all that needs to happen is to roll back to an era when one man had the guts and the acuity to not listen to the players, or the pervading philosophy of fairness. 

Imagine if the U.S. Open and other events returned to this demanding philosophy. Players out of necessity would choose balls that spin more, heads that were smaller so they could shape shots, shots that would start lower for more control and golf swings would evolve to find the balance of distance and accuracy. In time an athlete would come along who could solve the puzzle of how to hit the ball far and straight.

Players are not hitting the ball so far today because that’s the way the game is going, they are doing so because the set ups of golf courses do not make them think.

Brandel, that's one big heap o'crazy, my friend.  If Hogan were on Tour today, he'd be bombing and gouging it with the rest of the boys...

Narrower courses with deeper rough would lead the players to higher-spinning balls?   And smaller heads?  has anyone checked as to whether he's running a fever?

Sorry  for going long with this item, but it's really out there.

Steph & Tony, Call Your Offices - This is more to my liking:

Athletes from the NFL and NBA can often be found spending their off days on the golf course, and occasionally even in a pro Tour event (see Steph Curry and Tony Romo).

Now they'll have a chance to decide official bragging rights in a new charity golf event.

Turner Sports and CAA Sports announced the new tournament that will pit football stars and basketball stars against each other in a one-day team event akin to the Ryder Cup. 

Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets will host the event. 

"Golf is a favorite sport of mine and I'm thrilled to be hosting this unique tournament where NBA and NFL athletes will trade the court and field for the green," said Paul. "Competitiveness is essential in our respective sports and I look forward to competing alongside and against the best athletes while raising money for charity."

Maybe you guys didn't get the memo, but these days we stay in our lanes... Yanno, otherwise we get accused of cultural appropriation. 

Alan, Asked - This installment of his mailbag starts a bit slowly, but then gathers steam nicely:

What would Ben Hogan's "walk up" song be if he were playing Nola this week? #AskAlan —@ScottyGman23 

It would have to be elegant and understated, with a hint of menace. I'm thinking Beethoven's 5th. A few folks have asked what mine would be. That's easy: "F--- Tha Police."

Alan, I think there have been two cop shootings in the last couple of days, why would you go there?  As for Hogan, the posing of the question is the most trenchant criticism of the event I've yet heard.  Golf was deadly serious business for The Hawk, because one had to win to eat.

 The obligatory Ryder Cup queries:

Does Alex Levy play his way to a Captain's Pick and be the French connection on the European Ryder Cup side this year? #AskAlan —Nick (@tweetnickpt)

Levy's win in Morocco certainly adds to the intrigue; he's now 9th on the Euro points

list, with the top four automatically qualifying. (He has virtually no shot to be one of the four who qualify off the World list.) Thomas Bjorn will also have four captain's picks and he has stated his desire to have at least one French player compete on home soil. But Levy, 27, would represent a huge risk as a pick: he has never played a Masters or made a cut at the Open Championship or finished better than 27th at any major. In seven career WGCs he cracked the top 30 only once. But the guy does have five victories on the Euro tour, and perhaps the home crowd could inspire him to great things. Given the strength of the U.S. team, Bjorn's picks will be crucial and it is going to be fascinating to see what he does with this French twist.

It's always a bit silly to address such a question out of context, because it isn't a yes or no issue...  The question is, if not the Frog, who then?   

Who would you rather see in a Ryder Cup singles match: Reed vs. Poulter or Reed vs. McIlroy II? #AskAlan —Tony (@ducksphan) 

Poulter for sure. Reed took McIlroy's manhood at Augusta, and I'm afraid a rematch could get ugly. A Poulter-Reed match would be utterly epic, two imperfect golfers in a death match like no other.

I respectfully disagree.  Rory is the far more significant player, therefore the long-term implications of Rory-Reed III make for the more compelling drama.

I find this a category error:

Can "tiger" be used as a verb? Meaning to unnecessarily change an already excellent swing that's generating multiple wins. Example: Lydia Ko, with Leadbetter's help, has tigered things up so badly that she's a ghost of her former dominant self. —Ron (@PressingPause) 

I've been bummed about Ko's struggles – she remains one of my favorite players and people in golf. Her situation is made more complicated by overbearing parents, but she shares a key personality trait with Tiger, and Padraig Harrington, and Ian Baker-Finch and others: the insatiable need for improvement that drove them to the mountaintop doesn't end once they've arrived. They can't stop tinkering and trying to get better, because that's what they've done their entire life. The idea that Tiger could've just done "maintenance" with Butch Harmon from 2000 until the end of time fundamentally misjudges who Woods is: his favorite maxim has always been, "If you're not getting better you're getting worse." Obviously even the most talented players can lose their way, and right now Ko is in a maze, trying to feel her way out. But if "tiger" is a verb, the definition should be to chase greatness, with no guarantees.

First and foremost, was Tiger so diminished a player under Hank's tutelage?  My understanding is that his Butch swing put too much pressure on that left knee, so it had to be changed.

But if you're inclined to making up verbs, I think Lydia is more accurately described as Luking things up than Tigering...  She was so short off the tee, and like her hero Luke not all that straight, that she had to try to narrow that gap.  But with all the firing she's done, perhaps it's the parents that need to be put out to pasture...

Hey Alan, how do you place the Players on your mind map? Where does it feature in your ranking of golf tournaments outside the majors and why? #AskAlan —Anand (@SportaSmile) 

To be quite honest, I'm not sure I've thought about the Players once in the last 11 months. It's a very good tournament, with a stellar field and fun, quirky venue. It's definitely in the first tier of tournaments below the majors. Ranking the non-majors is tricky because the venues of the Northern Trust and BMW change year to year. So, for the purposes of this exercise, I'm using the 2018 courses. Here's my ranking:

1.Los Angeles Open

2.Memorial

3.Pebble

4.Players

5.Match Play

6.Northern Trust

7.WGC Mexico City

8.BMW

9.Dell

10.HSBC

I'm sorry, what is Dell and how does it differ from the Match Play?  I have a begrudging respect for The Players, and enjoyed the golf course much more than I expected to.  But I liked it far more before the FedEx Cup....

This one's gonna leave a mark:

#AskAlan Is parity good for the PGA Tour? I think it needs a marquee player winning at least a third of the time. See the Tiger Era —Nick (@BladyNick) 

Depends on who is doing the winning – I don't hear anyone pining for the Vijay Singh epoc. In an individual sport it does help train the attention of casual fans to have a Yankees-like franchise everyone is gunning for. So many good young players are in their primes it's hard to see one guy breaking from the pack, but it certainly would help clarify the storylines if two or three could emerge.

I'm thinking we'll end up feeling the same way about the Patrick Reed era....

See ya tomorrow. 

Midweek Musings

It'll be a low-wattage MM this go around, as it's quite a slow news day.  I'll do what I can, but I'm only one man...

Zurich, Year Two - We had it earlier, but folks have awoken to the format tweaking of this year's team event:

Instead of having the two-man teams compete in fourballs (best ball) during the final round, players will now play alternate shot on Sunday. 

That means fewer birdies and roars, but the Tour is hoping that the move will create more strategy and volatility – leaders likely won’t be able to run away from the pack, while the contenders have more of a chance with a good round. 

“There could be volatility,” Jim Furyk said. “It just might come in a different fashion.” 

“There’ll be a lot more hold-on as opposed to catch-up,” David Duval said.

I'm going to go way out on the limb and suggest that time will tell.... I do actually think it's a great idea to try it.  In the interest of meeting the minimalist standards of journalism, we'll give voice to the thoughtful dissenters:

The Zurich has its best field in tournament history, with 10 of the top 14 players in the world, and those stars will only hit half the shots on Sunday. That’s not ideal for either the fans at TPC Louisiana or those watching at home. 

“That’s sort of a bummer,” Billy Horschel said. “They had success last year, but they’re trying to make a little tweak and see if it’s any better. If not, they can go back to the old way.”

My bad!  I promised you thoughtful, but delivered Billy Ho....  Excepting his recent comments about Harbor Town, Billy hates everything.

But doesn't this kind of miss the point?  OK, we like seeing them hit great shots, no argument there.  But we also like seeing them deal with the pressure and other conditions, in this case the odd rhythms of alternate shot.  The great shots these guys will pull off will be all the more memorable.... Just go with it, Billy.

A group of Golf Digest scribes shared the byline on this tout sheet of nine teams to watch, but it's a little better than most such items.  For instance, he leads with Team Patrick:

Patrick Cantlay, Patrick Reed 

The Patricks are teaming up for a second straight year at the Zurich, prompting us all to ask once again, "How did these two decide to play together?” According to Reed, Cantlay simply asked him when they met up at Riviera in 2017, and Reed “thought it was going to be a great idea.” Just like that, Team Patrick was born.

Maybe, but it's not like either of these guys has done much recently.  What?  He did?  Hope he didn't wear that green shirt on Sunday....

This one is meant to prove that opposites attract, right?

Pat Perez, Jason Dufner 

Aside from the brothers Koepka, last year's Zurich leader board was littered with second-shot and short-game savants: eventual champs Jonas Blixt/Cameron Smith, Kevin Kisner/Scott Brown, Kelly Kraft/Kevin Tway, Spieth/Ryan Palmer. That was the stated reason for placing Perez (fourth in GIR percentage) and Dufner (16th in approach last season) in this space. However, let's drop the statistical facade: these two chaw-chewing 40-somethings are going to drown TPC Louisiana in their "Don't give a $&@%" swaggo, and we are more than happy to toss on a life jacket. (For what it's worth, their combined nicknames would make a helluva morning radio team. "You're listening to Volcano and the Duf on 102 the Zoo!") Throw in Dufner's NOLA track record—a win and five top-10s in eight appearances, including a T-5 with Patton Kizzire last year—look for this duo to light up the leader board, along with social media, this weekend . —Joel Beall

There's Team Cheesehead and that guy lured out of retirement, but there's a reason they closed with this one:

John Peterson, Cody Gribble 

If your life was on the line and you needed to pick this week’s winner, these two wouldn’t be anyone’s first choice. However, if your life was on the line because you happened to be trapped in a gator-infested swamp, they’d be your first call. Peterson famously pushed a gator at TPC Louisiana during this event in 2014 to help speed up play, and Gribble did him one better, giving a gator a love tap at Bay Hill in 2017. Rumor has it they’ve petitioned the course to put a reptile in every hazard and bunker. — AM

See ya later...or in a while.

Alternative History -  The Forecaddie has been on a roll, including this that I didn't know:

When The Man Out Front recently ran into Dwaine Knight, UNLV’s men’s golf coach

for more than 30 years, he thought, why not gather some lost details from UNLV’s side of the Tiger recruiting battle? 

Most know Woods chose Stanford, but many forget just how close UNLV was to snatching up the California kid. Charley Hoffman, who competed for UNLV from 1995-1999, recently half-joked, “Dwaine still probably loses sleep over not getting Tiger. He thought he had him.” 

Many thought Woods would choose UNLV, a young program fiercely on the rise. As Knight recalls, he never quite felt the Rebels had the phenom locked up. But that didn’t make losing out on him any less of a blow. 

“It was heartbreaking to lose him right at the end,” Knight told TMOF. “I really thought we had a good shot at getting him.”

If he had chosen UNLV, I guess Notah would be flipping burgers somewhere.

Narrative, Busted - I had been reliably informed that golf is DOA:

The annual economic generated by the game of golf in the United States has reached $84.1 billion, according to a study by the World Golf Foundation published Tuesday. 

The Foundation released the U.S. Golf Economy Report on the eve of National Golf Day. 

The numbers from 2016 showed a 22 percent increase from the last study, which showed a $68.8 billion impact in 2011.

 But this is rather depressing:

I'm pretty sure that my Fairview dues come to more than $38/round.....Like way more!

So Happy National Golf Day to y'all, but who's responsible for this weather?

#me too, Golf Edition - Yanno, I though this was going to be a fun item for your humble blogger, an easy case of hoisting lefties on their own petard:

WATCH: Black women allege discrimination when police are called over slow play

But, if they have their facts straight, it may not fit my narrative:

According to a story posted by the York Daily Record, five black women in their fifties were playing a round at Grandview Golf Club in Dover Township, Pa., on Saturday.

 

The group received permission to play as a fivesome when their tee time was delayed almost an hour by frost.

On the second hole, the group says they were approached by Steve Chronister, who said he was an owner of the course and to keep up with the pace of play. The women pointed out that they were in position, and the group ahead was still on the green.

The second hole?  That seems a little quick to be on them....

And it gets more curious:

The women then decided to skip the third hole, but had to wait for another group to tee off on No. 4 before continuing. 

At the turn, three of the group's five members left. The remaining two, Sandra Thompson and Myneca Ojo, were then told that the police has been called, and they had five minutes to leave the course because they had exceeded the 20-minute time limit between nines. 

When the women argued that the group behind them was still enjoying a break at the turn, they were told their club membership money would be refunded. 

"He said, 'You're going too slow, I'll give you a refund,' as if he didn't want us as members," Thompson told the York Daily Record. "I said, 'Do you realize we're the only black women on this course, and you're only coming up to us? We paid, we want to play.' He walked off in a huff."

Let's agree that there's more going on here than we first suspected.  And I do hope this is a teachable moment for my more liberal readers.  When the narrative fails to conform to the Narrative, call an audible.

Sister Act - This item is really about siblings, but there's no movie by that name.  Dylan Dethier ranks the sibling acts in golf and, given his age, wisely limits it to current players.  While we know where he's going after the women's event in LA, there's lots of obscure names to share:

8. Tony and Gipper Finau

The Finau brothers broke onto the scene at a young age. It was actually Gipper who cracked golf’s top levels first: At age 16, he finished T-58 at the 2006 Utah Energy Solutions Championship. The pair went on to appear together in the 2009 edition of Golf Channel’s Big Break series.

Gipper?  You can't make this stuff up....

Gipper, meanwhile, is holding on to his world No. 1,985 ranking, still trying to recapture the magic he had when he turned pro as a high schooler. He has played in three more Web.com tour events since his debut, each in their home state of Utah, but has missed the cut each time. Still, Gipper isn’t done chasing the dream; he’s playing on the mini-tours and has entered Q School in an effort to get back onto the game’s bigger stages.

This is my fave, however:

4. Lexi, Nicholas and Curtis Thompson 

Lexi Thompson needs little introduction. The No. 3-ranked player in the women’s game has been in the public eye for nearly half her life, and feels like a veteran even at 23 years old. Less heralded? Her two pro brothers, Nicholas and Curtis. Curtis, 25, has made just one cut on the Web.com tour in 2018, but one thing is for sure: He can smash it. Thompson led the Web.com tour in driving distance at 325 yards a pop in 2017, when he finished 90th on the money list. Nicholas, who has notched a handful of top-fives on the PGA Tour over the course of a lucrative career (collecting more than $6 million), has mostly been playing on the Web.com tour of late. He finished at No. 32 on the 2017 money list and is currently ranked No. 749 in the world.

There's little doubt that Lexi's success is partly attributable to growing up competing with her brother.  I'm not sure I'ver seen Curtis, but my amusement comes from the fact that Nicholas has the same violent swing as his sister, though it's like Lexi's swing on steroids.  It's really something to see..... but perhaps only once, lest it rub off.

You were warned that it's a slow day....