Tuesday Tidbits

In which we turn our gaze to the exciting events ahead of us....  Beginning in April.  I kid, there is that limited field event in Paris....

PGA Leftovers - You'll be shocked, but the ratings were pretty boffo:

Sunday’s final round of the PGA Championship earned a 6.1 overnight rating on CBS, up 69% from last year (3.6), up 56% from 2016 (3.9) and the highest since 2009 (7.5). The previous mark was a 6.0 for the 2014 final round. 

The 6.1 is tied as the highest golf overnight outside of the Masters since the final round of the 2012 U.S. Open (6.6).

We might have to admit, as per Reggie's memorable phrasing, that he's the straw that stirs the drink....  Could that be why there's a move afoot to ban straws?

This from Shack was pretty graphic, the final round ratings of the four majors:

Masters: 7.9

U.S. Open: 3.6

The Open: 5.0

PGA: 6.1

We've been a tad critical of the PGA of America this week, so take a moment to enjoy the folly of the USGA.  Seeking Masters-like ratings they signed up with Fox, only to end up with Memphis-like ratings.  Well played.

Also pretty boffo was that Koepka guy.....  Shack has the data, but this is news:

The PGA Tour and PGA of America have partnered at significant cost to provide ShotLink at the PGA Championship.

It's only the 21st century, but this makes the PGA the first major to have ShotLink....  Crazy, I know, but remember that Augusta National doesn't have a course rating or slope either....

Here's the breakdown of Koepka's game:

He must really suck around the greens....And this:

He does seem to have the kind of Thursday problem we saw with Tiger back in the day....  

As for that bit on the lower right, I've been reliably informed that it's all related to the ab work in the gym.  But please do remember that, given the soggy conditions, those are all pure carry....  Nothing to see here....

Shane Ryan pens a most curious item on the absence of love for Brooksie, including this wacky analogy:

Which brings us to the big question: What does the public owe to someone who is, undeniably, a great champion? Do they deserve our love, regardless of how we feel? 

And the answer is: It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if we owe Koepka love, or if we don’t. It doesn’t matter if the fault lies with the public, the media, or the golfer and his team. The answer is irrelevant, because we’re not truly confronting a question of right or wrong here, but a question of human nature. 

In medieval England, the vast majority of the king’s subjects had no idea what the king looked like—not even in a painting. They certainly never saw the man speak, and they didn’t know his personality. Even so, they summoned strong emotions of love and hate for their monarch. If that was true then, it’s true now—however naively, we believe we can put together an accurate character assessment of a public figure on very little evidence. We label people on the basis of nothing but photographs, videos, and calculated publicity campaigns. We hardly see the real person, but we think it doesn’t matter.

Repeat after me, Shane, love is not an entitlement.  But while I don't begrudge Brokks his grudges, we see athletes do this all the time.  But we don't need to play along...

Golf Digest has a couple of pieces on the venue, including this:

When setting up major championship golf courses, length matters less than you think

If you set it up at 9,000 yards, length would matter plenty.  At 7,300 yards, not so much for these gym rats....

By any measure, the players took on Bellerive and beat into submission. 

Jim McLean isn't surprised. The Golf Digest 50 Best Teacher has worked with tour

players for more than 30 years, and for most of that time was based at Doral in Miami—where the Dick Wilson-designed Blue Monster was renovated first by Ray Floyd and then Gil Hanse to make it hard enough to fight off the tour players. "What happened at Bellerive could happen anywhere now," says McLean, who is now based at The Biltmore in Coral Gables. "That course was extremely long and prepared for a major, but there is almost no course in the world that could withstand perfect scoring conditions."

7,300 yards is average, and combined with soft greens will result in red numbers....  Does that surprise anyone?

But obviously this guy didn't get the memo:

Bellerive played 7,316 yards for the PGA this week, but McLean believes a modern design would need to be substantially longer for distance to even enter tour players' minds. "A 520-yard hole was a decent par 5 20 years ago, but now you have par 4s that long, because players are hitting 190-yard 8-irons now," says McLean. "The ball is going 40 yards longer than it used to, which means a 7,100-yard course from the 1980s would have to be 7,800 yards today." But even Erin Hills' 7,741 yards didn't protect it from Koepka at the 2017 U.S. Open. He bombed it to death with his driver at shot 16-under, which tied the U.S. Open scoring record set by Rory McIlroy in 2011. 

The two most glaring hallmarks of the "distance war" are the gaudy driving distance averages players are recording and the clubs they're hitting into the green. Koepka averaged just under 320 yards off the tee, and hit 11 wedges on Sunday, including one from 157 yards to 10 feet on the 495-yard 15th hole. On the last three holes, with the tournament in the balance, Koepka hit a 5-iron to six feet from 237 yards, and 338- and 324-yard drives right down the middle.

Forty yards longer?  I'm thinking he might be low with that....

Lastly, see what you think of this point/counterpoint:

Don't be ridiculous, of course the golf course matters: As the great philosopher/celebrity golfer Yogi Berra once said, I felt like I had déjà vu all over again while watching the 100th PGA Championship. A week after the PGA Tour went to the homogenous Firestone Country Club for the final time, it took on the equally bland Bellerive Country Club for the first time in a decade. And I was surprised to learn Bellerive isn’t French for “dogleg left.” While the St. Louis course produced a star-studded leader board and a fantastic finish — two things that are easily the most essential to a memorable tournament — the track itself was forgotten as soon as Brooks Koepka put on his cape and flew away. Whereas a great course forges an added layer of connection with golf fans through recognizable holes — and helps build buzz before and during an event (Unlike, "Did you see where Brooks hit his tee shot on… um… that par 4?”) — I’m not sure that even fans who watched all four days could pinpoint any specific holes other than “that one they made drivable a couple rounds and almost got several fans killed.” That was No. 11, by the way. I had to look it up myself. — Alex Myers

You golf course snobs are missing the point: Here’s a dirty little secret about major championship golf: the golf course itself is almost irrelevant. Now, to be clear, this is not to say we prefer bad courses over good ones. Given the choice between splattering Cypress Point or some tired dusty muny on our 54-inch flatscreens, we all know what we’re going to choose. What we are saying, however, is that major championships are ultimately defined by the drama they produce, and we’re willing to overlook all kinds of architectural deficiencies provided the storylines that unfold there are sufficiently compelling. Take plain old Bellerive, which by any objective measure was the weakest of the four major championship courses this season, yet by some random confluence of events, still delivered the best major of the season. If you could guarantee a tournament like this one every time, I’d go back there every year if we could. — Sam Weinman

They're both ignorant sluts with bylines, no?  But they both make good points, but Sam's is the more important.

He's right that the modern elite game has rendered architecture moot, as they simply overwhelm any design features.  About the only thing that continues to challenge the players are firm and fast conditions, and the need to control the ball after it hits the ground.

There's little doubt that the PGA generated interest, just look at those ratings.  But that's due to one guy's resurgence, the golf itself was dreadfully boring....  My objection to Bellerive as a venue is fundamentally an objection to St. Louis in August, where we know in advance that the conditions will inevitably be soft.  

On to Greensboro.... Sigh.

We'll Always Have Paris -  As of the close of business Sunday, we have our eight automatic qualifiers for the American squad:

The headline is that Webb Simpson tenaciously held onto that last qualifying slot, so he'll be on the roster, like it or not.  I'd like to find a reason to think he might help us, but it's not an easy task.  The course is expected to be shortish and tight, so perhaps we should look at his driving statistics:

Oh goodie, he's got Luke Donald Disease, short and crooked.  His appeal is in approach shots, where he ranks 18th, and putting, where he also is 18th.

Of course, it's now time for everyone's favorite parlor game, the captain's pick's.  The Tour Confidential panel took their shot at it:

Marksbury: My picks: Tiger, Phil, Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau. Team USA already has a killer roster. I can’t imagine a world where Phil and Tiger are left off the team, and I agree with Tiger that Bryson’s fiery spirit would make an awesome addition. Finau’s length off the tee is an obvious asset, and his affable nature will make him an easy teammate to pair.

Ritter: Tiger and Phil are locks. Zach Johnson and, although Mr. Wood politely didn’t say it, Matt Kuchar, will be very tempting. There’s still time for the rest of this to sort itself out, but I think you just want to find a couple of hot players who feel like they can make every putt they look at. 

Sens: I like the Zach Johnson call (in that same spirit, I wouldn’t mind seeing a gritty Kevin Kisner in there) but this lineup is so loaded, I think Furyk’s most important task is going to be keeping the team vibe as loose and relaxed as possible. That, and finding Sunday shirts that are better looking than the one Furyk himself wore on Sunday in ‘99. That shouldn’t be too tough, either. 

Dethier: I don’t think I put the same value on experience as some others. Gimme Bryson and Xander Schauffele to go with Tiger and Phil. But I don’t think you can go wrong anywhere in that top 20.

I think Finau is very much the wrong horse for this course, as he's 195th in driving accuracy.  His game is all about length off the tee, and my understanding is that the set-up will negate that skill set.  He's not much better than middle-of-the-pack in the other obvious skills...

I'm on record as liking Brian Harman, if only for that putter, but his last top ten was at Torrey.  So, never mind, unless he finds some form really soon.  A reminder, the first three picks aren't announced until September 3rd, with the last one six days later.  Though Kevin Kisner offers a comparable skill set from the other side of the golf ball.

Josh Berhow does a deep dive into the possibilities, including making the case for why Tiger won't be picked....  here's his take on one such contender, but methinks he ignores the biggest reason he might be picked:

Bryson DeChambeau 

Ryder Cup ranking: 9th 

Ryder Cup history: None 

Why he will be picked: Won the Memorial earlier this year and has the talent to be on several Ryder Cup teams to come. He’s pals with Tiger — they’ve played several practice rounds together — who will definitely have input when it comes to selecting captain’s picks. He’s 18th in Strokes Gaines Off the Tee and 21st in Strokes Gained Approach the Green, not to mention tied for 16th in birdie average. 

Why he won’t be picked: He’s a quirky personality, which might not gel well with a team of veterans who have played together for years. He’s also emotional, which isn’t a bad thing for a Ryder Cup, but videos of his range blowups won’t help his case. He led the European Open in Germany last month with four holes to play, but unraveled down the stretch, finishing bogey-bogey-par-triple to tie for 13th.

Tiger has actively campaigned for the kid, and usually gets what he wants.  

You can read through his take on the other contenders, but we've got a few weeks to mull that over.  I'll just say that the strong ping-pong players on the squad have to be excited about the precarious position of Kooch.  he better step on it, because he'll need to give Furyk a reason to choose him, after his MC in St Louis.

Pebble, Anyone - Just a quick reminder that the U.S, Amateur is underway at Pebble, and Shack is on the case.  Don't miss this USGA video, if only for the scenes from 1929.  Although, to be fair, those pants of Jack's from 1961 are quite the thing as well....

This photo gallery from 1929 is pretty great as well:

That 1929 Amateur proved to be an inflection point in golf.  Bobby Jones had won the prior two amateurs and was quite obviously the prohibitive favorite, yet lost to Johnny Goodman in the first round.  With time to kill, he ventured to Cypress Point and up the cast to Pasatiempo, both creations of Dr. Alister MacKenzie.  As you might have heard, he collaborated with the good doctor on a course in Georgia after retiring from competitive golf.   That all turned out reasonably well.....

Fox will have the coverage, but it's got to be more interesting than Greensboro.....

Not sure about tomorrow's schedule.  I am playing in the morning, though not terribly early.  Maybe I'll blog, but perhaps I'll give myself a day off....  Oh the drama!