Weekend Wrap- - Back From The Dead Edition

It turns out that reports of their demise were overstated....

Chucky Three-Sticks - The man whose career is defined by an inability to win, messes up the narrative...  From the indispensable 30-second summary:

Who won: Charles Howell III (three-under 67, 19 under overall) *Beat Patrick Rodgers on the second playoff hole. 

How it happened: Charles Howell III led by one after 54 holes, but Howell, Webb Simpson and Patrick Rodgers were all tied at 18 under with just a few holes to play. Rodgers, who was bogey-free on the day, shot 62 (five-under 30 on the back) to take the clubhouse lead at 19 under. Minutes later Simpson missed a birdie putt on 18 that would have tied Rodgers and then, in the final group, Howell missed his birdie chance to win from 22 feet, leading to a playoff between him and Rodgers. After pars on the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th, they returned to the 18th tee a second time and Howell drained his birdie putt to win.

Why it matters: The 39-year-old Howell turned back the clock to win for the first time since the Nissan Open in 2007, when he beat Phil Mickelson in a playoff. It’s the third career PGA Tour victory for the long-time pro. It also improves his playoff record to 2-4. Last year he lost a playoff to Kyle Stanley at the Quicken Loans National.

I tuned in at the very end, so late that I didn't see Patrick Rodgers finish.   As per my default mode, I was of course rooting for the old guy, though Rodgers himself has been slow to make his way out there after his college golf heroics.  The kid shot 61-62 for the weekend, so it would seem to remain only a matter of time.

As for Charles, this is a pretty sweet photo:

Did you catch that cap logo?

New equipment contracts don’t go into effect until January 1st, but it’s safe to say Charles Howell III’s landing spot has been decided. The sight of Howell sporting a

Titleist hat, staff bag and 13 of the brand’s clubs and golf ball, all but told fans where he’s headed when the calendar turns to 2019 — even though Titleist wouldn’t officially confirm the signing. 

Howell’s move is an interesting one in an industry where most equipment deals typically run from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. Instead of waiting until the end of the year, Howell parted ways with PXG at the conclusion of the 2017-18 Tour season and arrived at the CIMB Classic with a completely overhauled bag featuring Titleist’s TS3 driver, two TS2 fairway woods, mixed 718 iron set, Vokey wedges and a Pro V1 prototype golf ball that was broken in for the first time at Sea Island. The only non-Titleist club currently in the bag is a TaylorMade Spider Tour Red mallet.

Those Titleist guys weren't born yesterday...  They got CHIII into all their gear, except for the stick that's kept him from winning since 2007.  Though this is the first guy (or gal) I can remember leaving PXG....

Also Fogging Up Mirrors -  Perhaps the parade of horribles has ended for a certain Englishman:

Danny Willett ended a winless drought of 2 1/2 years with a two-stroke victory at the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday in Dubai. 

Willett close the European Tour finale with a four-under 68 to finish 18 under overall, two clear of Matt Wallace and Patrick Reed. 

It’s Willett’s first victory since his 2016 Masters victory. He’s had his struggles since, missing 13 cuts this season. His win at Augusta propelled him to ninth in the World, but he was 114th at the end of 2017 and entered this week 276th. 

Francesco Molinari tied for 26th at six under, but that was good enough for him to secure the Race to Dubai title.

I'm quite sure he's back for good, as long as his brother remains bound and gagged in a basement somewhere...  He's far from the first guy we've seen go into a swoon after a breakthrough major, but his was especially ugly and graceless.

Nice to see Frankie Molinari win the big check, but you may have missed this Ian Poulter story:

Ian Poulter, true to his European heritage, isn’t a fan of slow play. So he had to be excited when he saw he was teeing off as a single for the final round of the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday in Dubai.

The writer, Josh sens, may not be familiar with how tournament golf is conducted, but no one is excited to be the first guy out.  

 Also Back From...Well, Somewhere - This win has them throwing around a bunch of R-words:

Lexi Thompson's victory in CME Group Tour Championship one of redemption and redefinition

Keely Levins tries to tackle the harder task of exactly what it is from which she is coming back:

The story of how this win is one of redefinition for Thompson is more complicated. It is about the mindset of a young woman, still only 23, and how in the quest to play quality 

After firing her caddie, she had brother Curtis on the bag.

golf, tending to self off the course is as important as spending time on the range.

It became clear there was something amiss when Thompson withdrew from the Ricoh Women's British Open. That one WD turned into a month-long leave from the LPGA. She took to Instagram to explain: "I have not truly felt like myself for quite some time," Thompson wrote on Instagram. "I am therefore taking this time to recharge my mental batteries, and to focus on myself away from the game of professional golf." 

For an Instagram account full of images of Thompson working out and playing golf, her honest, open post about needing to maintain her mental health was as surprising as it was commendable. After the year she had in 2017 with the rules debacle at the ANA and the missed putt at the CME, combined with her mother's cancer diagnosis and treatment, no one could argue that she needed time off.

OK, I've at times been a bit tough on the girl, though I think we can all agree that she had it coming...  Kidding, but only somewhat.  Keely also note this:

A few weeks before the CME Group Tour Championship, Thompson posted another message on Instagram that was again out of her normal social media cadence. In this post, she opened up about the struggles she's had with body image. The post garnered support and attention from her fans, with other young women chiming in with their own experiences, and parents applauding Thompson as an inspiration for their daughters. 

In these two instances on social media, Thompson did something that has showed herself in a new light. Yes, she played in her first U.S. Women's Open as a 12-year-old, and yes, she turned pro when she was just 16, and no, she didn't go to a normal high school or have a high schooler's normal existence. But the message she was imparting was clear: Lexi Thompson is more than just a golfer.

I'm just horribly conflicted about the young lady...  On the one hand, we're all plagued by insecurities and self-doubt, and I'm open to the concept that her admissions are helpful to others.  On the other hand, she at times seems the prototypical Millennial snowflake, the result of which is that she's quite the under-achiever, given her prodigious talent.  

Who was it that said, "If you want a friend, get a dog"?  Because she seems to have taken it literally:

That's Leo, as well as her Dad Scott.... 

And Ariya who won the Box 'o Cash:

Weird how the Euros and ladies have no problem with two trophies at their season-ending events, but the PGA will be going to its staggered start.

The Indispensable Man - When Matt Kuchar was named an Assistant Vice Captain for the Ryder Cup team, did you spare any thoughts for John Wood?  I figured he'd spend the week at home watching on the telly like the rest of us, but it turns out that it takes a village:

Wood has plenty of experience as a Ryder Cup caddie with Hunter Mahan and current player Matt Kuchar, but his role for the U.S. team changed this year with Kuchar serving as a vice-captain. 

His role as Kuchar’s right-hand man for the week was an expansive one. Some of the work was strategic, like when he noticed players were missing the par-3 second long off the tee during Saturday morning four-balls because the wind appeared to be hurting but was actually coming in sideways. That information was relayed to Kuchar, who radioed Furyk so he could pass it along to the players on the tee. 

Then there were the more mundane logistical tasks. 

“With how cold it was in the mornings and how nice it got in the afternoons, there was so much clothing they needed that sometimes (players) didn’t bring out the right stuff,” Wood said. “’So and so is on the third hole and didn’t bring his sweater out, he wants to take his jacket off and put his sweater on, can someone go find it?’”

A couple of reactions....  First, it;s an interesting look behind the curtain, though it leaves one with a nagging query.  If Woodie was doing all that, what exactly was Kooch's job?

Second, all that coddling didn't help much, did it?  Phil, anything you want to add here?

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid -  Cam Champ's fame is lasting way beyond his quota of fifteen minutes, and we saw him on another leaderboard this week.  He faded a bit on Sunday, though this seemed a golf course uniquely ill-suited to his game.  Steve DiMeglio has this fine profile of the youngster, including this from Sean Foley:

Still, a lot of his peers are still trying to get a handle on how far Champ hits the golf ball with an effortless swing. So, too, is Sean Foley, swing coach to Justin Rose and former

swing coach of Woods, who saw Champ for the first time eight years ago.

“I was blown away,” said Foley, who has worked with Champ the past six years. “I’m still blown away. He was 14 when he came to see me. He had big legs. So that day, he was hitting a 4-iron. He hit it and I said, ‘Oh (expletive).’ At that time, I’m watching Justin Rose and Tiger and I was hanging out on the range with Rory McIlroy and all the rest of them, so how was I going to be blown away by anyone? Well, I was blown away by a 14-year-old.” 

And there was the 9-hole Monday practice round at the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. Champ, who won just one tournament at Texas A&M, qualified for the national championship and then teed it up with McIlroy before tying for 32nd. And Champ outdrove McIlroy on every hole.

This video of Champ at twelve has been making the rounds, but this is the part that should have the other boys worried:

There are so many other stories about the power of Champ, but he’s working hard with Foley to change the narrative. Call the project DJ 2.0, a nod to Dustin Johnson, who harnessed his power and built up his short-iron talents that had plagued him to become No. 1 in the world. 

“Athletic players hit it far, and then once they learn how to hit wedges like DJ did, then the sky’s the limit,” said Champ, who has risen more than 100 spots in the world rankings to No. 107 since the season started. “I rarely hit a full shot unless it's a calm day. I like to flight shots lower, my numbers are more consistent that way, instead of just throwing it up in the sky. That's one thing I've really worked on in the last few years. 

“Now I'm very comfortable with it and it's kind of my go-to.”

I don't see anything that could hold this kid back unless he's fighting body image issues....

On Rory - I'm going to kick all the Tiger-Phil hype until tomorrow, but Rory's comments about scheduling are still generation reactions.  The Tour Confidential writers were asked this:

4. Rory McIlroy said he may play only two European tour events next season outside of majors and WGCs as he plans to focus more of his attention on the PGA Tour schedule and the majors. His former Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley, was among those disheartened by McIlroy’s announcement, given McIlroy would need to play only two additional Euro tour events to keep his membership. “It’s very disappointing and it is obviously a blow for the European tour,” McGinley said. Legitimate gripe? Should Europe’s stars feel compelled to support their native tour?

He gets more support than I'd have anticipated:

Kerr-Dineen: Yes, they should feel compelled and they probably do feel compelled. But for Rory and everyone else, this is a business decision. I doubt Rory will actually go through with it — I read this more as him sending a little message to the powers-that-be who have a habit of strong-arming players into showing up. There’ll be some kind of compromise.

Shipnuck: I fully support Rory on this, because 2019 is one of the most important years of his career, with the Open going to Portrush and some freighted milestones approaching: He turns 30 and the five-year anniversary of his last major championship victory is fast approaching. In that time, a handful of other players have passed him by. It’s time for Rory to do things differently to see if he can alter his trajectory.

Fair enough, though 2019's importance seems mostly related to his years of indifferent play since that last major.  This collage comes from our next item, but captures his struggles:

The more interesting item comes from John Feinstein:

The outrage over Rory McIlroy's European Tour membership is crazy** 

And so is thinking he won't be a Ryder Cup captain some day

John frames it as an over-reaction caused by the lack of interesting content from the mouths of professional golfers, and includes this telling anecdote about Rory:

McIlroy loves the Ryder Cup. It’s worth noting that he caused an uproar in 2009, before he had qualified to play in the match for the first time, when he said he was happy to make the team but that the Ryder Cup was really “an exhibition” and his real focus was on becoming a major champion. 

“It took me about 15 minutes after I got to Wales [for the 2010 matches] to know I’d been wrong,” he said a couple of years ago. “This wasn’t an exhibition. This was a very big deal. I felt the tension and the passion of the other guys. I loved every second of it.

“Looking back, what I said initially was selfish. I’m an only child and, since I was a kid, my golf was the most important thing in my world. I had to re-adjust my thinking to understand that wasn’t true.” 

When McIlroy finished saying that, he leaned back in his chair, laughed and said, “Can you imagine that, a golfer being selfish?”

All good, for sure, especially his acknowledgement of his own silliness, which is why we like the guy.   And he is for sure more candid than most, and that will inevitably lead to him walking some things back, of which this seems likely to be another example.

To me the bigger surprise is that the two events to which he's committed apparently does not include The Irish Open, an event he's helped revitalize.  But with the U.S. Tour winding down in August, he'll have no problem slotting Wentworth and another Euro start into his schedule, so why go there?