Weekend Wrap

I'm a little golfed out at this point, how about you?  So, shall we talk some golf?

Bryson Ascendant - Did anyone realize he was actually this good?  

Bryson DeChambeau’s birdie putt at No. 18 at TPC Boston caught the edge of the hole and circled round, a cruel lipout that settled on the far edge of the cup. DeChambeau, perfectionist ’til the end, looked incredulous. He swung his putter up into his cap, upset at the hole’s betrayal. 

But none of it mattered. 

DeChambeau tapped in for his par and then finally allowed himself the satisfaction of a job well done. It was well-earned: he’d just sealed his second consecutive victory. 

For a man famous for his complex thought, DeChambeau is making this look easy. The 24-year-old emerged from a jam-packed leaderboard Sunday afternoon at the Dell Technologies Championship and cruised to victory, posting a four-under 67 to win by two shots. In doing so he further cemented his status as Ryder Cup captain’s pick and jumped to a projected No. 7 in the world ranking, entering the top 10 for the first time in his young career.

I caught that look on No. 18 as well....  Quite the jarring transition to exultation after tapping in.

 Will Gray notes the Vijay effect in the algorithmically-challenged Reset Cup:

NORTON, Mass. – When Vijay Singh opened the playoffs with two consecutive wins in

2008, he needed only to remain upright for the final two legs in order to claim the FedExCup and $10 million. But after replicating those results, there’s still work to be done for Bryson DeChambeau.

It means that DeChambeau, fresh off wins at both The Northern Trust and Dell Technologies Championship, is guaranteed to be the No. 1 seed regardless of how the BMW Championship plays out. But it also means that seed Nos. 2-5 heading into Atlanta will be guaranteed to win the FedExCup with a victory at East Lake – even if DeChambeau were to finish second.

So, whether Bryson wins or finishes 70th next week (or takes the week off), he'll be in exactly the same spot when he shows up at East Lake.   Admittedly, it's not quite as much fun trashing their misguided faux-playoffs after they've admitted the mistake....  But I'll console myself with the knowledge that next year's format promises to be even more ill-conceived.

The most interesting aspects of the event to this observer had little to do with the manufactured hype of the "playoffs".  First, we had a Tiger Woods impersonator in the gallery:

Of course we also had a Tiger impersonator inside the ropes, at least on that back nine.

There was also Webb Simpson caddie Paul Tesori going medieval on a heckler Saturday:

Video at the link, surprisingly safe for work.

But mostly it was the Ryder Cup implications, as it's decision time for the captains.  More on that in a separate post, but some of that is included in this promising new feature:

The 30-second guide to the Dell Technologies: Who won, best quote, worst shot

I'm a little uncomfortable with the demand that I devote that much attention to this event, but let's see what he's got:

Who won without winning: Tony Finau, whose T4 marked his 3rd top-10 finish in his last four events, further strengthening his own Ryder Cup case. 

Best closing round: Phil Mickelson, who notched 9 birdies on his way to an 8-under final round 63.

Most optimistic post-round quote: Phil Mickelson, who noted, “Not only did I find something, but it’s something that is going to be a key factor for years to come.”

Years to come?  Silly me, I'm just wondering if he can find a few fairways in three weeks time....

Let's Be Careful Out There - Did you happen to catch this freakish yet horrifying story from the weekend?

A Colorado golfer learned that the hard way last week when warming up for an event at Greeley Country Club just north of Denver. 

The golfer, Matt Gutierrez, was taking practice swings with his wedge when the clubhead caught a rope line that was pinned to the ground with bolts, according to a report by KVDR, a Fox affiliate in Colorado. The force of his swing ripped one of the bolts out of the ground and sent it spiraling into Gutierrez’s leg, piercing his bone.

Ick!  But it might be my first post ever accompanied by an X-ray.....

This weeks Tour Confidential panel used this story to plumb their collective memories:

5. A Colorado golfer ended up with a bolt impaled in his leg after a freak driving range accident (the bolt was successfully removed). What’s the weirdest golf-related injury you’ve ever seen?

Shipnuck: Richard Boxall snapping his leg mid-swing at the 1991 Open Championship.

I have a vague memory of that one, though I wouldn't think Alan is old enough to.

Zak: Buddy of mine somehow dislocated his shoulder during the finish of his mega-flop shot. Club went flying into the air and left a crater in the green. I thought he was just enraged and threw the club in the air out of anger, so I quickly cussed at him. Felt pretty bad afterward. 

Bamberger: I vaguely remember a golfer who pulled a rib muscle while sneezing, but I can see that.

Who was that?  Pretty funny at the time....  This is also well-described:

Dethier: Remember last year, when the hot thing to do was run people over with golf carts? That was sort of spectacularly dumb and fascinating, though I can’t say I ever partook. The best story from my childhood was when one buddy chasing a golf ball into the edge of a pond ended up in some sort of muddy quicksand and started sinking, sinking, sinking… suddenly he was up to his chest in thick sludge before his feet finally hit the bottom. Ended up with just a bruised ego, a wrecked outfit and some ‘splainin’ to do when we got back to the clubhouse. But for a moment it felt like death in pursuit of a Pinnacle Gold was a very real possibility.

Funny, but only as long a sit's happening to others... 

Cheating By Other Means - Golf Digest with their definitive gamesmanship matrix:

That may be a tad difficult for you to read, so click through if interested.

The Three "R's" - Gil Hanse with a brief explanation of what it is he does when hired to work on an existing golf course::

“Restoration is when the principles, style and objectives of the original architect are the

overriding factors for decision-making on the project,” Hanse says. “There’s also sympathetic restoration, when those same elements are put into place as the overriding factors, but then you’re accommodating the modern game and technology in placing and designing the features. Renovation is when you allow your own thoughts to creep into the equation, either because there’s no significant architectural pedigree or no desire to restore what was there, or perhaps there’s something that just doesn’t work based on the modern game.

When we renovate a historic course, we try stylistically to at least make it fit, so it doesn’t appear like this golf hole was dropped from outer space. Redesign is when there’s nothing of inherent value there that we can identify or that feels as though it adds to the experience. We propose redesign in cases where we just think we can do a better job than what’s here, or what was here. Renovation is the most difficult sell to members, because it’s piecemeal, rather than wholesale change. And you’re always going to have members who like the hole or course just the way it is.”

And in my humble opinion Gil does it better than almost anyone else out there, because he's able to control his won ego.  That said, that moment when you tell the Committee that their golf course has "nothing of inherent value" promises to be a tad awkward, no?

My Favorite Item of The Day -  Remember the Patrick Reed Fenway Park story from last week?  If not, here was our hero showing off his interpersonal skills:

Boo-friggin'-hoo, right?  Brendan Porath of SBNation.com subjects it to an old-school Fisking, not often seen in the world of 280 characters:

2. Nobody in golf does the acerbic “thank you” better than Patrick Reed. No one uses a phrase typically associated with gratitude to convey contempt better than Reed. It comes dripping with derision and perhaps best represents the Reed experience.

Yeah, that's gonna leave a mark....

6. The mythical “line drive section.” I think this is the subsection that has, correctly, provoked the most confusion and amusement. I don’t need to add much more to it.

That had me puzzled as well.

9. My working theory is that the Reeds saw other Tour players, who, ahem, haven’t won the damn Masters this year, down on the field yukking it up and having a grand time. The 

Reeds probably had great seats in the “line drive section.” According to #sources, the PGA Tour had tickets all over the park and the Reeds’ tickets were behind the dugout, providing a great vantage point to watch a baseball game. But the tickets were separate — maybe not worse, maybe not better, just separate — from a class or a group of players or people they feel they belong to. It’s not totally wrong and I could see how it might be annoying to many other non-Reed humans out there. So they “upgraded” by dropping $650 to move into that section where other players and Tour folks presumably got in for free. Again, this is just my working theory.

And a fine working theory it is.  I get that all players nurse grievances and Patrick more so than others, but with the Ryder Cup on the horizon isn't this a strange time for Captain America to be alienating those with whom he'll share a team room?  Thanks Brendan, awfully good fun.

Relevance? - Chris Kirk had some interesting comments earlier in the week about distance:

“The driver and the ball don't go any further than they did eight years ago. That's the

thing that everybody is missing,” said Kirk, who opened with a 67 for a share of the early lead at the Dell Technologies Championship. “Guys are making it go further. People wanting to change the rule and change the ball and change the stuff, it doesn't matter.” 

Kirk pointed to improvements in fitting and optimizing a particular player’s launch conditions to explain the distance gains, but the main difference in recent years is how players have simply become better athletes. 

“Every professional sport, it doesn't matter, guys continue to get better, that's just the way it goes. And I don't see why everyone has such an issue with that,” he said.

First, this seems a doubtful proposition, especially as I'm digging my new G400 and P790 irons.  That said, he's making an important point that recent distance gains are influenced strongly by things the governing bodies are unable to control.

 That said, so what?  It's always been and always will be thus, but its affect on golf course design and set-up remains, whether or not its caused by ab crunches or golf club technology.  Reasonable people can and will differ on whether the USGA and R&A should act, and in what manner, but the effect of fitting especially is very real indeed.

Don't fret is this seemed a short post, as I'll have Ryder Cup post following shortly.  No blogging tomorrow due to a zerodark-thirty match, so I'll see you Thursday morning.