I managed to get my golf in with only a few drizzles, though it had Employee No. 2 suggesting I apply for work with the USPS. Yanno, the "Neither rain nor sleet" thing....
Webb, Untangled - I found it a compelling story, though others' mileage might vary. The USGA's anchoring ban forced him to a mid-career adjustment that put his career on life-support, but he found a way back. Highly recommended is this Brian Wacker feature on that path back:
The turning point for that motivation came at the 2016 Barclays, where he thought he’d missed the cut by one and got into an argument with his longtime caddie, Paul Tesori.After hashing it out in Simpson’s car over the course of an hour, Tesori (who grew up just down the road from TPC Sawgrass and still lives in the area) convinced Simpson to do something about his putting and the experimentation began.“It’s what led to using the [Matt Kuchar]-style putter, and it’s what led to me being open to listening to Tim Clark here a year ago,” Simpson said. “I’ve never putted this well in my life, and I think if I had stayed with the belly putter—I think I maybe averaged 35th to 60th every year in putting, so very average—and this year I think I’m in the top 10. It’s funny how those things happen, but, you know, this is probably the first time I can say I’m glad they banned it, because I wouldn’t have ever probably swayed away from the belly putter.”
I remain very much in favor of the ban, though the delay in addressing the issue was profoundly unfair to players such as Webb, Keegan and Tim Clark. Keegan, who had a good week, is seemingly the anti-Webb, in the low 200's in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Here's a close-up of that putting grip:
More on that putter grip in a moment.
The Weekly Tour Confidential panel takes on the Webbster as well:
2. Winless since 2013, Webb Simpson went out and blitzed the field at the Players Championship. He led by seven entering the final round and cruised to his fifth PGA Tour victory. Given the strength of field and prestige of the event, where does Simpson's four-stroke win rank among the most dominant performances in recent Tour history?
Sigh. OK, a seven-stroke lead after 54-holes is a certain kind of beat down, but the more interesting aspect is the prior five years. Fortunately, like a good defense witness, the writers mostly answer the question that should have been asked:
Shipnuck: Hard to believe a U.S. Open and this victory are the bookends to five winlessyears. No doubt the anchoring ban had a big effect on Simpson. Now that he's back, it will be interesting to see if/how he builds on this win. It was certainly a spectacular performance.
Sens: We've seen a number of players dominate events in more spectacular fashion. What made this notable wasn't so much the way he won but that there was no one who could have seen it coming.
Wood: I've always told Webb (and his caddie Paul Tesori) that if there was a stat on Tour that measured "Strokes Gained: Attitude" Webb would be right at the top. You wouldn't expect someone to be able to dominate this event who wasn't really well known for one thing — ball-striking. But Webb put this thing away early and never let anyone get close. So, I think this was the most dominant performance in recent memory.
I know, John Wood (who caddies for Kooch) isn't a writer, but perhaps should be.... I'm man enough to admit that I wish I had come up with Strokes Gained: Attitude, though I also acknowledge that I am to attitude what Keegan Bradley currently is to putting....
As to the putter grip, Luke Kerr-Dineen goes at it with an amusing anecdote from a different game entirely:
An often overlooked footnote in sports history is that when Wilt Chamberlain completed his historic 100-point game in 1962, he did it shooting his free throws underhanded—or “granny style,” if you prefer.
It’s a technique endorsed by Rick Barry, one of the greatest free-throw shooters in basketball history, and when Malcolm Gladwell devoted a 2016 episode of his podcast “Revisionist History” to exploring why more players don’t use the method, he concluded, basically, that it’s because it looked too weird.
“I’d rather shot zero percent,” NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal once said about the technique. “Too cool for that.”
Luke, though, misses an important element of the process:
Bernhard Langer, of course, was among the first to employ such a style with positive results (although Langer's approach to the Arm Lock was quite different from Simpson'sas he employed a regular-length putter where the shaft did not go as far up the arm). He pioneered the method after a potentially career-ending bout with the yips, and used it to win the 1993 Masters. Matt Kuchar adopted the technique in 2012 and promptly won the Players Championship and has solidified himself as one of the better players—and putters—in golf. Ollie Schniederjans landed a spot on the Web.com Tour using the method (though he has since switched back), while Bryson Dechambeau arm-anchored his way to his first PGA Tour win in 2017.
Yet despite the increasing number of success stories, arm-anchorers on tour are still few and far between. Why don’t more players start arm-anchoring? Perhaps players aren’t ready to call quits on the more conventional methods. Or maybe it just looks strange. But one thing seems certain: A few more putting performances like this, and we won't be asking this question for much longer.
I expected this would take among amateur golfers who anchored as well. But the catch is that you can't use your existing putter to try the method, because it requires a putter with much more loft, because of the forward press of the shaft. Good luck finding one of those in the bins in your pro shop....
Tiger, The After Action Report - Steve DiMeglio with a summary:
Tiger Woods found himself 14 shots out of first place after making the cut on the number in The Players Championship.
Then he found his game during the weekend.
The former world No. 1 turned in his best score in relation to par since 2013, a 7-under-par 65 in Saturday’s third round, then closed out his first visit to the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass since 2015 with a 69 in Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
He finished at 11 under and was in a tie for 11th when he finished, well behind the leaders but well ahead of where he thought he’d be in his latest comeback.
Unfortunately for the event, the moment of peak intensity was Saturday morning as Tiger was early in his back nine and threatening the course record. In fact, after finishing our round we took our lunch into the bar in order to watch intermittent coverage of it on Golf Channel.
The TC Panel leads with the Striped One:
Jeff Ritter: There's no question he's on the cusp. His driver is at times wobbly, but overall I think it's just a matter of hitting better shots under the gun on Sunday afternoon. If he stays healthy and continues to put himself in contention, a title is going to happen somewhere along the way.
Michael Bamberger: He has to finish. Finish each round. Takes enormous patience to do that, and belief.
Mikey Bams, come on down and collect your winnings. To me, Tiger's comeback thus far has been defined by a profound inability to get it to the clubhouse.... For the greatest closer in golf history, that has to be something of a concern. Back in San Diego or Florida, this was to be expected, but I'm a little surprised that this is still such an issue.
And a couple of strange notes form yesterday's finish.... First, those who don't get out of the house much know that Tiger has a tortured history on Sawgrass' No. 14. He's put a couple in the water to the left, including during has win in 2013 when he followed one of the worst drives you'll ever see with one of the most outrageous drops in televised history, one not within fifty yards of the facts on the ground. More recently, one can make book on his blocking his tee shot into the mounds to the right, from which an ugly bogey results as surely as night follows day.
But yesterday was even stranger... he seemingly exorcises his demons by bombing a drive some 350 yards, to a spot where there are absolutely no divots. With his toughest shot of the day covered, he proceeds to make yet another bewilderingly ugly bogey by spinning his wedge off the front of the green.
Then this:
Alan Shipnuck: He did so many things well but the shot that lingers is today on 17 — he flat out muffed it miles short into the water. From 1997 to 2009 what separated Tiger more than anything else was his mental strength. To make a mistake like that shot on 17, when he had been playing so well, was revealing.
True enough, Alan, but let's call a spade a spade.... OK, perhaps I should rephrase, but did you catch his reaction to the dunk? He makes a little hand gesture to Joe LaCava that the wind had turned into his face, though NBC to their credit showed us that the wind was actually helping above the grandstands, though swirling at the tee. But then they give us the replay angle that shows Tigers ball tens yards short of covering the railway sleepers, which is another fifteen yards short of the pin. The only thing missing was him tamping down a spike mark.
Of course this week is a step forward for Tiger, 65's are always helpful. But the inability to finish the round bears watching in the weeks ahead. I'm assuming he'll skip Texas and Jack's event will be his only remaining start before Shinnecock.
May We March? - As you know, this was our last May installment of the event, which will move back to it's traditional spot anchoring the Florida swing. Back to the TC posse:
3. TPC Sawgrass played as the fifth-hardest course on Tour last year. It had a scoring average of 73.291, and no player broke 66. Then came this year, when the course record (63) was threatened several times — Webb Simpson 63, Brooks Koepka 63, Tiger Woods 65, Jordan Spieth 65 — and it had a scoring average of 71.409. What gives? And what type of TPC Sawgrass do you like better for the Players?
Brooks' 63 included an albatross, but Webb's featured a double-bogey.
Wood: I was very surprised by how the course played out during the week. I've never seen it in better shape. There was thicker grass coverage than I've ever seen. It's always in great shape, but the grass here was always a little sparse and thin and there would be a lot of sketchy lies, especially around the greens. Not so this year. Though you still had the difficult into-the-grain chips, the chipping areas were so perfect they were puttable. One thing that puzzled me was course setup. There's nothing you can do about the rough. It didn't grow. It's usually not that long per se, but it's usually wildly unpredictable in terms of catching fliers. I don't think we had one this week. But the truly puzzling thing was the greens. On a hot week with no rain, they stayed soft and, for the Players, on the slow side. After Friday, Sawgrass' greens usually get scarier and scarier. They typically get firmer and firmer, accepting ONLY the perfectly struck shot. And they typically get glassy, shiny, and start to turn purple. All this adds up to having to play very defensively, not able to attack pins because they wouldn't hold, and having to putt conservatively for fear of putts running well past the hole. They remained the same (perfect) all week and didn't ask for more as they usually do.
It didn't seem all that intimidating, did it? I've been reliably informed that distance is not an issue in our game, but let me share just a couple of observations:
- The ninth hole has quickly gone from one where only a few guys have at it to one where even the shortest players in the field try to run the ball onto the green. And many of the guys aren't hitting driver off the tee....
- No. 13 used to be a very difficult Par-3 for the guys... No. 17 gets the headlines and No. 8 is easily the hardest on the property, but No. 13 got their attention. Yesterday, many of the guys were hitting pitching wedges. Nothing is all that hard for these guys with a wedge in hand...
- The finishing hole used to be one of the hardest two-shotters on Tour... Tiger hit iron off the tee all four days, and had no real issues with his approach shot.
This course is laughably short for these guys without the wind up...
So, is there hope?
4. Speaking of the PGA Tour's schedule change, next year the Players will move from May to March and be played before all four majors. Will the change have any effect on course conditions and the prestige or perception of the event?
Most of the guys seem to think so, but we'll let Woodie ramble on:
Wood: I remember when it used to be played in March, and it is a completely different kettle of fish. I specifically remember playing 36 holes on a Sunday in cold, windy conditions, shooting even par for the day and feeling like we just stole something. The most notable change will be the 17th hole. For the most part since the tournament moved to May, we would get a wind that had some help in it, which makes that shot much simpler. Wedges of all kinds and occasionally nine-irons have been the rule. To my memory, in March we tended to get more of a northwest wind, meaning that hole will be played with a left to right and hurting wind...the most difficult wind there is for a right-handed player. Plus, it will be cooler, so those wedges and nine-irons will turn into seven-, eight- and nine-irons requiring much more guesswork. Is the wind there? Is it lying down? If I flight this too low will it go through the wind and go long? If I get it up too much into the air with too much spin will it get killed and come up short? You'll start seeing a lot more craziness there, which I think the public enjoys.
Let's hope so, because I'm guessing that Pete and Alice didn't love what they saw this week.
Jay-Walking - I've been holding fire on the new Commish, as he deserves time to to figure out where the men's room is located at Fortress Ponte Vedra Beach. There have been a few small missteps recently, though I don't find myself pining for Nurse Ratched.
Earlier in the week, Steve DiMeglio had this fawning profile:
“Honestly, I don’t think about me and my job but I think about what we are doing,” Monahan said. “I feel like the product is our players — how they perform, how theyrelate to each other, how they relate to the fans. And our financial contributions are significant. We are part of the fabric of so many communities, which brings a whole level of responsibility and energy. We are in a good place with all of that.”While Monahan, a history major, would rather talk about his hero, John F. Kennedy, or how Bucky Dent broke his heart but not his loyalty to the Red Sox, others enjoy talking about the man who became the PGA Tour’s fourth commissioner on Jan. 1, 2017.
Do we think he saw Chappaquiddick? And, if anyone cares, I'm good with the Bucky Dent thing, though credit to Jay for not mentioning his middle name.
But this is a bit of a contradiction, no?
Monahan, who turned 47 Monday, has a Type-A personality and an easygoing manner that connects with one and all, be it a player and his family, a caddie, an equipment rep, a volunteer. He has an uncanny ability to remember names and make you feel like he’s known you for years.
Wikipedia begs to differ:
Type A and Type B personality theory describes two contrasting personality types. In this theory, personalities that are more competitive, highly organized, ambitious, impatient, highly aware of time management and/or aggressive are labeled Type A, while more relaxed personalities are labeled Type B.
Not the most important issue, admittedly, but still fun for your humble correspondent. But, of greater import, is the tendency towards B-School speak, which he'd do well to lose:
“To bring the best field in golf here, early in the season and to be able to use this platform and have tent-pole events, big events, every month March through July and get the playoffs to a position where we’re really excited about where we’re going, that’s good for the overall schedule.
“When you look at how we make this product [The Players] better, this product works in May, this product works in March. You need to pick the areas where you need to improve.”
Who's the target audience for that nonsense? Seriously, you're all avid golf fans if you're wasting time reading my blog, do you think of The Players Championship as a platform or a product? I hated it from his predecessor, who wasn't a real golfer and I thought fell back on this vernacular as crutch. But Jay is a real golfer, and has the vocabulary to appeal to our game's fans. Quite frankly, this is the same instinct that thinks Living Under Par™ resonates with people.
From The Tower - The previously unknown-to-me Tim Reilly spends an elevated hour with Gary Koch. Literally:
On an 85-degree sunny Wednesday afternoon, I spent an hour in the 17th-hole tower at TPC Sawgrass looking over one of the most iconic and exciting holes in the game. I was a fly on the wall some four stories high as analyst Gary Koch and the Golf Channel/NBC production team meticulously prepared for the Players Championship.
My initial thought? These broadcast towers must be the best seats in the house. But in reality, there's a good chance you have a better view from behind the ropes as a fan. Koch will be calling the action from an eight-by-eight-foot booth, and that might be a generous estimate. It feels like a hunting shed out of Duck Dynasty. It's thrown together with what appears to be scrap wood, and driving range-like mats are nailed to the walls. (I didn't dare ask what the bathroom situation was like.)
I actually wish he had asked... it's a long day up there. Perhaps he brings a Koch bottle?
Suddenly my mancave seems hopelessly inadequate....
Phil, The Shirt - gee, is it just me, or did Phil not get any weekend airtime? What? Really, +8.... With the course playing that easy...
That said, I'm mostly in agreement with the Twitter mob:
“Ridiculous.”“Uncomfortable.”“Looks like he should be doing my taxes.”One quick-wit superimposed a photocopier onto a picture of Mickelson with the caption: “Mickelson has found himself in some serious trouble with an error #2734 paper jam.” Another observer theorized that Mickelson’s sloppy, seven-over 79 in the first round was “a direct result of that shirt he’s wearing.”
But the guy writing the checks seems happy:
“We had our best sales of the year yesterday,” Lavelle said. “It was the most engaged, mentioned and trafficked day in company history.” He declined to say exactly how manyof the $125 shirts his company sold but that it was “a meaningful multiple over a normal day.”Under the terms of the deal, Mickelson is not required to wear the shirts, Lavelle said, but with an equity interest naturally it benefits him to do so. More eyeballs mean more sales. Some of the Mizzen+Main folks debated whether a steamy spring round in Florida was the best place for Mickelson to model the shirt — “we were worried it was going to look like he’d jumped out of a pool,” Lavelle said — but Mickelson insisted the timing was right.“He played 18 holes of golf walking in Florida in May and the shirt looked perfect,” Lavelle said.
Perfect? On Phil? That's rich, but he was amusingly contradicted by his amusing mannequin:
“I think nobody does kind of slightly overweight middle aged guy better than me, and this [shirt] says exactly who I am,” he said to a scrum of reporters. “I'm really happy with it. I think you shouldn't knock Mizzen+Main until you try Mizzen+Main.”
I certainly agree that if your core demo is slightly overweight middle aged guys, then Phil is your man. Come to think of it, perhaps I could use a little of that spandex in my dress shirts.... Though I do think this guy got in the best jab:
See y'all tomorrow.
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