Weekend Wrap

Lots of action to dissect, then tomorrow we'll start our controlled descent into Shinnecock.....

Memorial Mayhem - The Professor makes his case to be taken seriously:

After sinking his winning 11-foot birdie putt on Muirfield Village’s par-4 18th hole, the second in a playoff Sunday for the Memorial Tournament title, Bryson DeChambeau let out a roar and fiercely double-pumped his fists in exultation. 

“I finally got it right the third time,” said DeChambeau, who had three-putted the 18th for bogey in regulation before missing the green from the fairway on his first crack at the finishing hole in the playoff. 

“That was a big celebration there.” 

He may need to save some of that energy for Paris. 

DeChambeau took down Ben An and Kyle Stanley in extra holes to capture his second career PGA Tour title and put his name firmly in the U.S. Ryder Cup conversation. The second-year Tour pro, who also won last year’s John Deere Classic, moved to eighth in the U.S. standings, bumping Phil Mickelson to ninth. 

“To make the Ryder Cup is obviously No. 1 on my priority (list), if I don’t do anything else this year,” DeChambeau said. “This is obviously pretty solid, too, but I will say that to be able to represent your country would be a tremendous honor, one that I’m highly looking forward to, if I do get that opportunity.”

We'll always have Paris, but will Bryson?  I've been planning to do an update on Ryder Cup status after the Open, but I'd guess that he still has more work to do.

Kudos to Ben An for an epic monster flop shot to save par on that final loop through No. 18, necessary though not ultimately sufficient.  

Our weekly Tour Confidential panel managed to squeeze in a query about this most curious of players, though he doesn't come close to top billing:

3. Bryson DeChambeau, 24, picked up his second career Tour victory when he went par-birdie in a playoff to take down Kyle Stanley and Byeong Hun An. DeChambeau's single-length clubs and analytical thinking get plenty of attention, but does his game get the credit it deserves?

Zak: When watching him, it almost feels like he's treated like a circus animal, where he's just existing in his own little world and we're all on the outside looking in at him. Of course, his analytical approach is his calling card, but victories constantly speak for themselves. People are beginning to recognize him for being a phenomenal ball-striker and a really good driver, and not just a guy measuring everything. It's taken longer than it should have, though.

He's been out there about a week-and-a-half, and it's taken too long?   

Dethier: He's putting together one of the best seasons on Tour — he already had notched 

four top fives this year before the win this week. The "mad scientist" talk is fun but can get lazy and caricaturish. The real question to ask: who's going to be his Ryder Cup partner? 

Sens: The modern game can seem so uniform that anyone who breaks convention naturally draws attention as a curiosity. And with DeChambeau, it's not just the clubs and the deep data dives — it's also the swing itself. He's a product of our high-tech times, but he's also a throwback to an era when you could tell most swings apart from a distance on the range. That's part of the appeal of watching him. It's a reminder of how many ways there are to get it done.

Patrick Reed might be looking for a new partner....

The guys might need a week off, because they spend far too much time deciding what to call him.  Pro Tip: BDC isn't gonna cut it, but The Professor already has....

Redemption Song - Seven up with nine to play triggers ancestral chords deep in the heart of golf purists....  But, upon further review, we have a happy ending:

SHOAL CREEK, Ala. – Meltdown. Catastrophe. Choke job. Ariya Jutanugarn nearly had a starring role in what could’ve gone down as one of the most spectacular falls in

major championship history. From up seven strokes with nine holes to play on Sunday of the U.S. Women’s Open, to down one shot in a two-hole playoff, television announcers took to discussing how a potential failure might derail her entire career. 

But it wasn’t over. The player who applauds her opponents’ shots in the heat of battle hadn’t given it away yet. This wasn’t the same Ariya Jutanugarn who tripled the final hole at home in Thailand as a 17-year-old. Nor was it the same player who squandered away a two-shot lead at the ANA Inspiration two years ago. Jutanugarn didn’t panic when her trusty 2-iron went rogue. Didn’t hang her head in despair when she hit fliers out of the Bermuda rough. She might have smiled in disbelief. But she didn’t stop believing. 

“I forgot the bad things,” she said. 

It took four playoff holes for Jutanugarn, known as “May,” to finally shake Hyo-Joo Kim, a former major winner who hadn’t played like one lately until Shoal Creek. Storms miraculously stayed away on Sunday in Birmingham, but Kim made it rain on the greens, pouring in miles of putts to pile on the pressure with a bogey-free 67.

I'll remind the reader that I fell hard for Ariya in the midst of her prior epic meltdown when she handed the Dinah Shore to Lydia.  Having smother-hooked her drive into the water on the final hole there, she rested her head on her caddie's shoulder and said she was sorry to him....

Seriously, how can you not love a girl whose pre-shot routine includes a smile?   To be fair, I didn't see the meltdown and I got to my TV just in time to see her great birdie at No. 16 to reassert control over the outcome.  Until, you know, that no-good, horrible lay-up at No. 17 that sent her spiraling back to the depths of despair.

Golf Magazine has been dissing the ladies in recent months, but this week they get to Ariya before Bryson....  I'm guessing the went alphabetically:

2. Ariya Jutanugarn, after blowing a big lead late, beat Hyo-Joo Kim on the fourth playoff hole to win the U.S. Women's Open. The Women's Open was an 18-hole playoff until 2007, when it moved to a three-hole aggregate, but this year was the first time it switched to a two-hole aggregate before sudden death, a change the USGA announced in February for its four biggest championships. What did you think of our first sample size of the two-hole variety?

Zak: It's great. For one, single-hole playoffs are lame. We saw Kim take the lead through one, which incited a now-or-never type moment for Jutanugarn. Kim wasn't allowed to just skate off with her one great hole, though. She needed to seal the deal, and she didn't. Anyone who wants more than two holes is asking for a lot of these women after four days and 72 holes. 

Dethier: I loved it. Win the first hole? You'd better validate that at the second. It adds a layer that doesn't exist in simple sudden death without sacrificing any of the urgency of the do-or-die moment. Bring on more theater like this. 

Sens: What they said. Just as one hole seems too short and potentially fluky a format for settling such a grueling event, the four-hole format of the British Open feels like overkill. Two is the Goldilocks solution. Just about right.

Did Josh just use Goldilocks as an appeal to authority?  

Anyone who struggles in the bunkers should watch her explosion from the bunker on that final playoff hole....  That's how ya do it, kids.  Speed!

I also loved Zinger's head exploding as Ariya was clapping for her opponents fine play....  Even better, was that wry smile that Hyo-Joo Kim through Ariya's way after the great bunker shot....  Good stuff.

Tiger, The After-Action Report -  What to make of a bizarre week from The Striped One?  This'll shock you, he himself says it's a process, though acknowledging that it is what it is.....Kidding, he says it's all good:

Like a baseball team that outhits its opponent but loses by not pushing runs across the

plate, Woods outhit the field at the Memorial Tournament yet went home Sunday afternoon with a dyspeptic T-23 finish. The five-time Memorial winner led the field in three important ball-striking categories, but was second-to-last in putting, which led to a final-round 72 on a day that began with him lurking just four strokes behind. 

“I had some chances to shoot some good rounds this week,” Woods said after finishing at nine-under 279, a score that was good enough to win his fifth Memorial title in 2012 but this time was six adrift of the trio of players who got into a playoff—Bryson DeChambeau, Beyong Hun An and Kyle Stanley. “Overall, my game is where it needs to be heading into the U.S. Open and that's something positive.”

Dyspeptic?  That's a word that doesn't come up much in golf coverage....But it sort of fits.

Of course the TC guys led with this:

1. Tiger Woods, in his last start before the U.S. Open, put on his best ball-striking display of the season — leading the field in Strokes Gained tee to green — and finished T23 at the Memorial. While his putter let him down and he had trouble finishing out rounds, the outing was undoubtedly another step in the right direction. But is Tiger's game steady enough to win at Shinnecock Hills?

No, next question.  

Sean Zak: No. He's demonstrated he's very capable of making birdies, but can he walk along the edge of a cliff (as U.S. Opens tend to make you do) without falling over the edge? That driver will be used plenty at Shinnecock and it's just not trustworthy enough. But, of course, anything can happen.

John Wood: After last year's experiment at Erin Hills, where an astonishing 31 players finished under par, it sounds like we will return to a more traditional U.S. Open test this year at Shinnecock. If we are, then the test becomes much more about ball-striking, game management, patience and, above all else, toughness. Tiger has all these tools. I wouldn't put anything past him. If he strikes it as good as he did this week, I don't see how he wouldn't contend. Putting comes and goes. There's nothing wrong with his stroke or approach; it was just one of those weeks where putts didn't go in.

I agree with Woodie that Shinecock Hills sets up fairly well for Tiger, the more so if we get some wind.  That said, let me make two points that I think bear noting before you put him on your fantasy roster:

1.  The man hasn't finished a round in this comeback.  Time and again he's created early-round excitement, only to struggle to get it to the clubhouse.  Before I expect him to finish off a tournament, I'd like to see him finish a Thursday or Friday round. 
2. Wither the putter?  Conventional wisdom is that he'll fine-tune his putting and be ready to rock and roll, but I think we've seen this model Tiger before, and perhaps it's the underlying Tiger st this point.  Early in my blogging career I had this post, titled Wither Tiger, in which I attempted to assess Tiger's prospects.  I'll remind you that this is January of 2014, and the subject was coming off a five-win season which included the Players:

Putter Woes - I had intended to blog earlier this month about some fascinating data available from ShotLink that allowed for the extension of the Strokes Gained metric from putting to the full tee-to-green game. The gist of this data is that Tiger's advantage against the field is meaningful until he gets near the green, then he gives strokes back. I've always believed his putting woes go back further than most think, as I remember him looking downright foolish on the greens at places like Baltusrol, Pinehurst and Oakmont. He would need a very good putting week to win a major, and the stroke would need to hold up on the weekend under intense, ever-increasing pressure.

That best ball-striker/worst putter in the field is a Tiger we saw much of in that era, and might be the Tiger he's regressing towards....  If I may say, I think that post holds up well with the passage of time.

I Saw It On TV - Or not, as the case may be....  But we need to talk about how we're going to broadcast our events, because it's just not working for me.  The schedules were thrown asunder by the weather gods this weekend, and what's a fan to do.

Dealing with the lads first, Shack being all over it first with this heads up post, and later with this post-mortem:

You wake in the east. Maybe it's raining outside. Or, you just don't feel like playing golf.

You are excited about the 2018 Memorial's rare confluence of young guns, old legends, legendary tournament host and a top venue. The U.S. Open is less than two weeks ago. Golf fan euphoria sets in! 

On a scale of 1 to 10 in PGA Tour intrigue, the 2018 Memorial is probably 9.89999, with a tiny deduction because Chief Leatherlips is threatening to mess with all of this fun. After all, tee times are moved up to ensure a Sunday finish.

So here's how your Sunday went if you wanted to undertake the mission of watching the coverage from start to finish, or just jump in for parts. All times ET. 

7:30 am to 8:30 - PGA Tour Live app 

8:30 am to 11 - Golf Channel 

11 to 2:30 - PGA Tour Live, CBSSports.com, CBSSports app--for the first time ever BTW, normally CBS would not stream and force us to watch a tape delay 

2:30 - 4:00 - CBS comes on at allotted start time, tournament in progress 

Instead of accommodating normal viewing sensibilities by providing live coverage over traditional airwaves for PGA Tour golf, CBS chose to put the viewers through the madness of moving between viewing platforms. 

Meanwhile, on affiliates through the land, CBS could not interrupt some spectacular content. As the Memorial Presented by Nationwide streamed the following on LA's KCBS: Cindy Crawford's Beauty Secrets, AAA Benefits And Savings, Small Town Big Deal (featuring a Civil War reenactment!) and Relieve Your Foot Pain With WalkFit!

I get it, Geoff.  You think that fans should be able to watch the action live, and who wants to argue with that?  It's a bit of a cheap shot to go after their regular Sunday morning programming, but it's CBS, so have at them.... I'll just remind that those programs probably draw a larger audience than golf, especially when the world doesn't know to look for golf at that hour.

That said, I've never been particularly offended by the "plausibly live" concept of sports broadcasting, as one needs to choose from among bad options.  But I have a major gripe that I fear no one has an idea how to address.  

Let me set the scene for y'all:  I'm watching the CBS broadcast of the finish of the fourth round.  Bryson (not BDC, please) and Kyle Stanley are making  a mess of the hole, and CBS is cutting to Ben An on the putting green, keeping loose in case neither of them makes par.  My man-cave TV is just above my cable box, which reads 5:05.  Do you see the issue?

So, I don't need to watch them make Ben An's day, I know we're going to a playoff and I'm pretty sure it's going to take more than one hole to resolve matters.  We watch sports mostly for the inherent drama of an uncertain outcome, yet conforming the broadcast to lead seamlessly into the local news gives away said outcome.  Thanks, guys.

I'll also heap some opprobrium on Fox and their Saturday treatment of the Women's Open.  Because of the need to complete second round play early Saturday morning, they were running late.  As they approached the 7:00 scheduled broadcast window for MLB, Joe Buck provided a lengthy explanation of their complicated coverage plans.  Presumably this was caused by the fact that Fox had exclusive coverage and obviously they wanted (or perhaps were contractually required) to have the games on free TV in those markets.  Since their lead game was the Cubs-Mets, that included the NY market.

All I know is that after the switch-over Channel 5 had the Cubs-Mets.... Fair enough, but when I flipped to FS1, also Cubs-Mets.  A game so important that Fox allocated their entire broadcast spectrum to it....  Again, thanks, guys.

Rory, On Point - At least if he had used the first-person, singular:

“I think the USGA thinks that we’re better than we actually are, if that makes sense,”

McIlroy said. “I think they overthink it. I think that, and I don’t want to single out (USGA Executive Director) Mike Davis here, I think it’s a collective thought process. We were talking about this yesterday. They sort of, I don’t think it should be as much of an exact science to set up golf courses as it is. I mean, get the fairways sort of firm, grow the rough, put the pins in some tough locations, but fair, and let us go 

play.”

“It’s been a very reactionary few years to what happened at Chambers Bay,” McIlroy said. “I think they felt Chambers Bay was – Erin Hills was going to be similar to Chambers Bay. So they soaked it and made it really wide and all of a sudden 16 under par wins again and they’re like, um, what just happened? So I think they have to take previous results out of their head and just say, ‘Okay, let’s set up this golf course as best we can and just let the guys go play.'”

There's a grain of truth there, though of course it's not at all that simple and Chambers/Erin probably just muddies the waters.

The underlying question is how to set-up U.S. Open courses to be exacting, yet fair.   The TC panel guys fall all over themselves loving this comment:

Ritter: It reminded me of last year at Erin Hills, when the USGA shockingly hacked down large swaths of rough in response to player complaints during the practice rounds. A textbook example of overthinking. Of course Rory's right, but even if they aren't necessarily trying to protect par, the USGA wants to make the U.S. Open tough — and I think fans also want to see a course that pushes players to the limit. That takes a fair amount of planning. The USGA ran into problems recently at Chambers Bay and Erin Hills, two new venues, but I'm optimistic they'll find the right balance at Shinnecock's familiar confines. 

Wood: I hadn't heard this quote, but I absolutely love it. I couldn't agree more. I think we had that at Oakmont a couple of years ago. I question the abundance of multiple tees that they seem to want to use for many of the 18 holes. At Chambers Bay it was difficult enough to find all the proposed tees we were going to play from, much less actually practice from. (A huge reason U.S. Open practice rounds have routinely become six-hour affairs.) I trust most Tour caddies and players who do this week in and week out to figure out a new tee (distance, angle, club choice) but it slows down play to a crawl sometimes when even some of the best are looking in their yardage books and at each other wondering, "What tee is this?"

Really, having multiple tees is too complicated for you guys?  Exactly what is Mike Davis allowed to do, and how will the U.S. Open differ from the San Antonio or Memphis stops on Tour.

The USGA gets a bad rap for "protecting par", but are we really offended by their desire to make their flagship event the sternest test of the year....  And while the tenuous spot of bother is somewhat self-inflicted, this seems to be the threshold issue of the modern game.

See ya tomorrow.