Tuesday Tastings

It's too hot for a long, involved preamble, let's get to the fun stuff.

Dahmen, v. Kang, Oral Arguments - Where's Abraham Zapruder when we need him?  In the hottest controversy of the week, additional witnesses have come forward:

Michael Klock was working ShotLink at the Quicken Loans National Sunday on the 10th green when Sung Kang’s second shot crossed the hazard line and triggered an accusation of “cheating” from playing partner Joel Dahmen. 

Klock says he is certain Kang’s shot crossed the hazard line only once. 

“Kang’s second shot was very far left and at no point ever came close to being inbounds from the initial point of entry 225 yards or so back,” Klock told Golfweek Monday. 

Klock added that the ball landed “about 6-8 feet into the hazard in a batch of taller, bamboo-like weeds.” This was Klock’s second year working ShotLink at the QL National. He was at the fairway on No. 4 Friday afternoon and the 15th green on Saturday.

And while a home movie would be a quaint touch, we'll have to make do with this ShotLink graphic:

The graphic only makes sense when you realize that the landing spot is the "bamboo-like weeds" referenced above, well within the hazard.  For his ball to have crossed remotely close to where he dropped, it would have had to have hooked some 20-30 yards....

As I noted yesterday, this is eerily reminiscent of the bogus drop granted to Tiger on the 14th hole at Sawgrass in 2013, whereby a simple hole map makes clear the implausibility of the relief granted.  In that case, Tiger was playing with Casey Wittenberg, a Tour rabbit unlikely to object to anything Tiger wanted to do.

See if this makes you just a little uncomfortable with how things are adjudicated among those Living Under Par™:

Klock said the discussion between Kang and Dahmen also became quite heated as the officials considered their ruling and another group was allowed to play through. 

“Kang was insistent (’95 percent sure’ in his own words) his ball came back and entered the hazard at about 35 yards out. I caught bits and pieces of the exchange, but the rules official did quote ’95 percent sure is not 100 percent sure’ before driving Kang back to look at the line again. Kang then returned and argued some more with Dahmen, to which (Dahmen) replied, ‘If you can sleep at night, then take your drop,'” Klock said in an email to Golfweek detailing the encounter.

This is part and parcel of some recent rulings where it was essentially determined that the player didn't cheat because said player stated that it wasn't his intention to cheat.  We all understand that it can be difficult to assess where the ball, in fact, crossed the hazard line, and folks often get it wrong.  But word will go out that a player can pretty much drop where he wants, as long as he's prepared to take the heat....   and, Dahmen seems an outlier, so there might not even be much heat involved.

Next we have a statement from the PGA Tour, in which they inform us that this is none of our damn business:

“A PGA Tour Rules Official handled the ruling, interviewing both players, caddies and marshals in the vicinity. The official then took Kang back to where he hit his second shot, and Kang confirmed his original belief that his shot had indeed crossed the margin of the hazard. With no clear evidence to prove otherwise, it was determined by the official that Kang could proceed with his fourth shot as intended, following a penalty stroke and subsequent drop. The PGA Tour will have no additional comment on this matter.”

That last sentence doesn't sound at all defensive... Who ya gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?

Shack goes through the above in his post on the subject, then throws everything he can muster at the kitchen sink (there's a chance I might have mixed a metaphor or six there):

--The PGA Tour has never issued a statement about the backstopping practice even after Jimmy Walker wrote on Twitter that he leaves a ball down for those he likes or feels sorry for. Any player who might mark their ball in a desire to protect the field, is now seen as not "one of the boys." 

--The PGA Tour openly defied the USGA and R&A's views on distance and seems poised to fight any effort to protect the role of skill in golf in order to market the athleticism of today's players.

--Phil Mickelson stopped his ball from rolling down a slope at the U.S. Open and has not been --condemned or fined (to our knowledge) for conduct unbecoming. Two young superstars found his behavior funny.

--For years players have regularly "fixed a ball mark" without asking their playing partner for approval. It's apparent they really just want to smooth out a blemish in the green. The practice is so pervasive that we now have the dreadful new 2019 rule of golf allowing for players to pamper their line to the hole. 

--The PGA Tour has resisted empowering officials to hand out slow play penalties for years, with former Commish Tim Finchem even declaring that he didn't see such rules enforcement as necessary. 

--Under Finchem's watch, the PGA Tour steadfastly refused to support drug testing until golf wanted to join the Olympic movement.

I'm in agreement with Geoff on all the major issues, but I don't think he advances the cause of truth and justice by his blender approach.  Let me try to briefly identify where he goes awry:

1. Distance?  I just don't see this as on point.  The Tour has a right to protect its interests, and if it believes that a roll-back will hurt its product, it has a right to make that known.  It also has a right to not abide by any rules with which it disagrees, and shouldn't be faulted for making the USGA aware of such fact.  They need to be persuaded, like any other constituency.
2. Phil?  The problem here is that it's a different organization, the USGA, that failed to make Phil accountable.  I get that the Tour has coddled Phil for years, but this is just too obtuse an argument.
3. Slow Play?  Again, I see this as way wide of the mark....  An important issue, just not this issue.
4. Drug Screening?  Yeah, it was a scam, for sure....  And yes, there's an accumulation of evidence of lax standards and a coarsening of society all around, but still, it struggles to assert relevance.

So, what's at play here?

1. A Rules Environment Increasingly Dependent on Judgment and/or Intentions:  The rules-making bodies have made quite the hash of things over the last few years, failing to proactively react to technology that made violations apparent to home viewers but not to tournament rules officials.  The resulting rules changes make rules violations subject to the players "intentions", meaning that as long as they know the magic word, no penalties will be assessed.
2. Millennial Attitudes - We all love this new generation of elite players...  OK, perhaps not Grayson Murray, but they seem hyper competitive but also highly supportive of each other.  But as the backstopping debate shows, they're missing the gene that governs their responsibility to protect the field.  They just don't get why it's wrong and while I'm doing my best to persuade them, I'm only one man.  As an aside, let me also note that Geoff missed the strongest point on the backstopping issue, Jimmy Walkers quote that he'll ask a fellow player :Do you want me to leave that there?"  
3. The Tour's Abdication: Here's where Geoff is spot on, as they've chosen to ignore the backstopping issue, where a strongly-worded directive could resolve this issue quickly.  In the present case we see an inconsequential player take on the guild in the Dahmen v. Kang contretemps, and the Tour leaves him holding the bag.  Do we think, after seeing this, that other players will be more or less likely to assertively protect the field?  The question answers itself....

But Shack also makes a highly interesting point that I'd missed completely.  I've long assumed that the backstopping issue would go mainstream when an incident decided an important tourney.  Shack notes that we have a new constituency to consider:

The problem now? Legalized gambling is coming. Golf is seen as a potentially lucrative opportunity, one that will dry up the minute bettors think the bro culture that bred backstopping and this peculiar culture of devaluing the importance of rules for unclear reasons.

Stay tuned.

The Daly Variations - Given his time zone advantage, Shack typically beats me to most stories in the golf world.  Though it turns out that I beat him to both Joel Dahmen above and John Daly as called out by Eamonn Lynch.  

But in his post he adds an interesting factoid that calls into question his need for a cart:

Daly is listed as part of the field for this week's Greenbrier Classic. Presumably able to play without the aid of a cart.

Just perfect!  I'm glad everyone has woken up to the walking disgrace that is John Daly, but none of this is new data....

Ballyliffin's Week -  It's time for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, which starts Thursday at Beloved Ballyliffin™.  beloved by Employee No. 2 and I, that is, as we are well acquainted with the club and its wonderful membership.  For anyone not with me in 2012, I recommend that you read this backgrounder on our first visit to Ballyliffin, also your humble correspondent's introduction to this blogging thing.  Feel free to scroll through the posts from our trip, including the final post on Royal Portrush, one I'll be referring you all back to a year from now.

The bride and I maintain our interest in spending a season in Ballyliffin, it's quite the special place.  As to how such a small village can handle this large event, I profess ignorance.  But a snoted in that linked piece, it's home to all of 461 souls as per the 2011 census.

Sky Sports has this preview:

Weather forecasters are predicting a bright and breezy week at Ballyliffin this week, conditions which should be ideal for an entertaining tournament on what McGinley

described as a "strong golf course" 

"The Glashedy is a great course, and it's a big golf course," said McGinley, who made his debut in the tournament as a 22-year-old amateur in 1989. "But like all links courses, whether it's in Ireland or Scotland, we are looking for moderate weather. Bright and breezy is ideal. 

"Ballyliffin is certainly a strong golf course, and one of the strongest links courses you can play anywhere in the world. It's a big expanse of land that is well equipped for big crowds, and I'm sure we'll see another hugely successful event this year."

I don't know how big it is for THEM, my Par Saver indicates that it plays 7,200 yards, though they might have found a way to add to that if they so desired.  It's a very stern test for the club player, with many of my golf balls to be found deep in the folded-over Maram grass deep rough.  They'll no doubt incorrectly call it fescue, but one can actually get a club through fescue....  My recollection is that the deep stuff was just off the fairway, resulting in lost balls on reasonably accurate shots, though that's not an issue when you have marshals and spectators.

Sky also had this image:

Interesting, as that's the controversial 7th hole....There's a hill in the middle of the property, and Pat Ruddy used it for the tee boxes for the one-shot 7th and 14th holes.  It's unusual to have such a hill, and even more so to have the pictured pond....  The result is a difficult hole playing back into the prevailing wind, a thoroughly unlinks-like hole....  It's an interesting hole and offers great vistas, but no one knows what to think of it because it just seems so out of place.

Tom Doak trashed the course in his reissued Confidential Guide, seemingly because of this one "turn-off" hole, undermining his credibility by referring to the water on the left.  I don't object to his (Doak may not himself have written that entry) not liking the hole, it's indeed awkward, but there were seventeen others...  Although I very much agree that the Glasheedy doesn't feature the marvelously rumpled fairways of the Old Links, which I've likened to an unmade bed.  Maybe we'll revisit some of my old photos during the week.

The Euro Tour website has this as well:

Donegal debut

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open makes its debut at Ballyliffin Golf Club this year, one of the most northern golf courses on the island of Ireland. 

Some of the world’s best players will tee it up on the Glashedy Links, which, alongside The Old Links, is one of two courses at the club. 

Fashioned around the incredible dunes, the Glashedy Links offers a real test of a player’s entire game, as well as breath-taking coastal views. 

According to Rory McIlroy, Ballyliffin is “one of the toughest links courses in the world. It’s really well designed, it’s a beautiful course and Donegal is just a beautiful area.”

One of?  No, it is the northernmost golf club in Ireland, full stop.  Want one last image?

It's a spectacular site for golf.

I'm going to get on with my day...  I expect to blog tomorrow, as we have an afternoon event.  But Thursday you'll be on your own.