Midweek Musings

We've much to catch up on, but will start with the story that won't go away...

The Reed Clan - We spent a bit of time on Alan Shipnuck's story of Patrick's parents watching the Masters 3 miles from Augusta National and, apparently, we weren't alone in that.  Reaction was so strong that Alan wrote up the story behind the story.  If you're so inclined, I'd suggest you read it in it's entirety, and we can discuss when you get back.

Troubling, no?  It begins, oddly enough, with the beginning, which is all about....well, Alan.  A bit defensive, methinks, as those he's not quite comfortable with his buzzkill question to Reed at the Champion's Presser.  But let's start at the beginning...  You need to know that Alan had done a prior story for Sports Illustrated after the 2014 U.S. Open, so he was known to and presumably trusted by the family:

There are larger issues surrounding the story that have played out across Twitter and elsewhere. Here's how it went down: I first reached out to Reed's mom on Saturday. She

wasn't sure she wanted to talk, which I understood — I woke up on Sunday not sure if I wanted to write the story. Despite evidence to the contrary, I'm not a heartless bastard. I knew the story would be polarizing. I suspected it would complicate what would be the greatest achievement of Reed's life, and I had some misgivings about that.

I talked it over Sunday morning with a couple of my editors. Their feeling was that Reed's controversial college career and family dysfunction is integral to understanding who he is, and how he got that way. A bunch of players on the PGA Tour are from Georgia. They had bad experiences with Reed in college, and were not exactly welcoming when he arrived on Tour. He was brash and immature and his reputation quickly metastasized. Already somewhat of a lone wolf, he became even more insular, playing practice rounds alone, with his wife (and later brother-in-law) as his caddie.

As you can sense, we're already in morally ambiguous territory.  Does a professional golfer have the right to privacy?  Of course, but there are limits to that right, and we're brushing right up against them.  But then he undermines his own case with this:

If Reed had won his first major at the U.S. Open would we still have done the article? I'm not sure. But his Augusta roots run deep. Many of the fans on Sunday are locals, or have ties to Augusta. They know the Reeds and have been hearing stories about Patrick going back to when he was at Augusta State, where he feuded with teammates and, as detailed in Ryan's book, was suspended for two tournaments for a cheating episode. Why was the crowd on Rory's side on Sunday? And then Jordan's and Rickie's, but never Patrick's? Why was the reaction so muted and weird when he holed the final putt? It's an Augusta story. For his parents to be exiled a few miles away while their son wins the green jacket is a tale that needed to be told.

Really?  OK, there's a local angle that adds a frisson to the event, but it's either appropriate or not, right?

Now my favorite part of Alan's piece is his inside baseball description of the presser, and his prior buzzkill involvement.  They run those pressers (and everything else) the way they do for the same reason that a dog licks itself, because they can....  But then Alan gets to the whole point of the article, the coup de grâce and, most importantly, how Alan felt about it:

I would have been fine with another reporter asking about the family situation, but as the press conference dragged on — it was the most low-energy champion's presser I've been to going back to 1994 — it became clear that no one else was going to address the elephant in the room. I started raising my hand higher and while Reed was answering other questions I never stopped staring at Heatley, trying to engage eye contact. Finally, near the tail end of the presser, he came to me. I got the words out just as I had hoped. Reed gave me a hard stare for a beat or two and said, "I'm just out here to play golf and try to win golf tournaments."

The emotionless words hung in the air as he was burning a hole through me with his eyes. In that moment it was tempting to break the awkwardness and blurt out a follow-up, but silence is a powerful tool for a reporter. I was hoping Reed would fill it with another thought, but he didn't. It was not a comfortable moment for either us. Heatley adjourned the press conference and I went back to my spot in the press room to finish typing my story. Reed headed for Butler Cabin to be united with his wife and her family.

It's safe to say that Alan has asked his last question at a Champion's Presser, and I hope in the years to come that he feels he used it wisely.  

Shack engaged in a Point-Counterpoint with Matt Adams, and scribbled his rationales for the story as well:

Two post-Masters stories focused on the Reed family split and the emotions for his parents and sister watching from just three miles away. I certainly understand both sides of this one and explain in this Alternate Shot with Matt Adams that ultimately, there are a few issues in play here. 

There is the tournament's prominence and the number of non-core golf fans watching who do not know much about Patrick Reed. 

There is the 18th green's family-greeting/escorting-to-scorecard setup at The Masters which seems slightly photo-op-ish and makes families part of the story. 

And there is the proximity of the parental home to the Reed family home.

I think ultimately I'm OK with the story, which I'm sure comforts you given how eagerly I lapped it up yesterday.  I'm actually sad for the guy since he's so obviously damaged goods.  I think back to his need to measure the cheers on the first tee, obviously ignoring the extent to which he created the animosity with his college teammates and the like.

But it's hard to hide behind your right to privacy, when your wife took the fight to Facebook...  But it's all part of a whole, the estrangement from basically everyone...  and what kind of wife encourages this?  Most would be pushing for a reconciliation, not throwing kindling on an already raging fire.  There's a needless cruelty to it all, and no one comes out looking very good.

I will, however, part paths with Alan on his question at the presser, which I find off=putting in the extreme.  Emotional growth is not to be found on a dais in front of strangers and microphones, and his need to rationalize it in his item is a poker tell.  The results of asking the question were completely predictable, and no tenet of journalism was served thereby.  In fact, all his avowed hopes of reconciliation aside, all he ensured is that the question will never be asked under potentially more appropriate circumstances.

Not April Fools, Alas - This will get old in a hurry....  The Tour is out with their new marketing slogan, and it's perfect.  For bloggers and others not under a Ponte Vedra Beach court's restraining order...Are you ready?

Thud!  Shack does a righteous Fisking of their bloated press release, but I think his most devastating blow is in the header:

PGA Tour's New Slogan: "Live Under Par" Because No Laying Up Was Already Taken

Tron Carter, he of the epic hastag #toursauce, got there first.  His brother and co-conspirator had this when asked about the meaning of "No Laying Up":

“it’s about feeling good while the ball sails OB.”

Trust me, you're gonna like that so much more than anything that is to come:

I'll just give you a small bite of the apple:

“'Live Under Par' is an invitation for both players and fans to participate, no matter which side of the ropes you’re on,” said Gilbert Haslam, Executive Creative Director, Troika. “The campaign provides fans with new ways to engage in all the PGA TOUR has to offer and celebrates the shared mindset and spirit behind the constant pursuit of greatness. ‘Live Under Par’ is unique to the game, but with meaning that resonates far beyond it.”

So, I just have to ask, if it doesn't matter which side of the ropes I'm on, why is there a rope?

The PGA TOUR has been proactively shaping marketing plans through a fans-first lens to reach beyond the core fan.

Which seems a lock to annoy the core fan, but have at it, boys.

It makes me nostalgic for "These Guys Are Good."  Which they were and are....

Give Geoff a pageview if you're so inclined, I'll confess that I lacked the heart to watch the trailer.... maybe with the passage of time.  But the player social media contributions are awkwardly delightful:

First Texan I've ever seen with Stockholm Syndrome.

I'm not going to make a hostage joke about this guy, after all he lived through The Troubles.  But he's at a stage in his career where it's difficult to get under par...yanno, ever.  I know, harsh.

Another Effortless Segue - See if you can discern the connective tissue in this:

The PGA Tour is about to get a little louder. 

Tournament officials announced Monday that the Zurich Classic will become the first Tour event to feature walk-up music. 

Each two-man team that makes the cut at TPC Louisiana can pick a walkup song to be played on the first tee before each of their weekend rounds. The New Orleans-area tournament, scheduled for April 26-29, is the only team event on the Tour schedule. 

“This innovation will try to further and enhance the concept and the team atmosphere,” said tournament director Steve Worthy.

Shack got to the most obvious point first, that copying the European Tour isn't, you know, innovative.

One could almost come to the conclusion, heresy I know, that the Tour doesn't think their underlying product is sufficiently attractive to draw an audience, without clever marketing strategies and "innovation".

Memphis in June August - Do these folks know what they're doing?  Because this seems unwise:

The PGA Tour's annual stop in the Memphis area appears to be on the verge of significant change.

The PGA will hold a press conference at Shelby Farms on Thursday and it's expected to include an announcement regarding the Tour's decision to bring a World Golf Championship event to Memphis beginning in 2019.

In November, reports emerged stating that Memphis was in line to host a WGC event in August 2019 because of the PGA's decision to move the PGA Championship to May and move the Players Championship back to March starting next year.

Anybody out there familiar with Robert Conquest's Three Laws of Politics?  In this case it's the third that applies, but I'll copy-and-paste all three:

1. Everyone is conservative about what he knows best.
2. Any organization not explicitly right-wing sooner or later becomes left-wing.
3. The simplest way to explain the behavior of any bureaucratic organization is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies.

 If you wanted to kill off the WGC's, what more could you do?  It's not the move from June to August, it's the elevation in stature that makes no sense.  This will be after the majors and before the "playoffs" and Ryder/Cup in even number years, so we'll see how strong the allure of easy money proves to be.  On the one hand, guaranteed money and no cut, but sweltering Memphis....

And not just Conquest, but anyone catch the Hoagy homage in the header?

It's Baaack - Shack with the news that Costco is back with both their buzz-worthy K-Sig four piece golf ball, as well as a 3-piece ball.  Occasional reader and golf buddy Bobby D. purchased two dozen of the 4-piece, which he informs were $35/doz. including shipping. That price seems insufficiently below the cost of tour balls to make all that much of a ripple.

Shack also linked to this Mike Stachura update from the Fall on the litigation between Costo and Acushnet,  Nasty stuff for sure, it's just hard to imagine Costco being in it for the long haul.  But I always have the popcorn ready.