Your Friday Frisson

No one seems terribly happy today, including your humble blogger.  

Blue On Blue - Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley takes to the pages...errr, well pixels at least, of Sky Sports to trash Europe's best-known player:

It's quite extraordinary that Rory's not going to play just two more events to fulfil his European Tour membership next season. It's very disappointing and it is obviously a blow for the European Tour. 

I've been racking my brains wondering how that can be. Obviously Rory sees it in other ways and has got his own rationale for that, although I'm finding it hard to understand!

Of the 12 players that represented Europe in the Ryder Cup this year, Rory is the only one who is going to do that and the others have all signed up to play the minimum of four events outside of the majors and WGCs. 

The FedExCup finishes in August next year, so you've got all of September, October, November and December where the PGA Tour is played in Malaysia, Korea and various other places.

Well, when you put it that way....

A couple of points of note.  Next year's Irish Open, two weeks before the Open Championship, is to be played at Lahinch and hosted by.... you know it's coming, Paul McGinley.  Interestingly, McGinley isn't even arguing for Rory to show up for that event....  Rory skipping the Irish seems the greater offense to me.

Secondly, we in the U.S. have a perception of the Euro Ryder Cup effort as being a well-oiled machine....  In reality, they have as many petty grievances and personality clashes as we do, they just manage to make putts every other year.  

McGinley lays out the stakes for the young man:

McGinley, who won three Ryder Cups as a player before captaining the 2014 European team (which McIlroy was on) to victory at Gleneagles, also brought a new European Tour rule requiring future Ryder Cup captains to have never forfeited their membership on the European Tour. 

“I don’t think Rory is worried about what is going to happen in 20 years, which is what he would be looking at if he was going to become Ryder Cup captain or vice-captain,” McGinley wrote. “At this moment, he is worried about his golf and focused on what he’s doing in the next 12 months.”

Quite frankly, I'm amazed that they'd allow a player to give up his Euro Tour membership in odd-numbered years and still get fitted for a uni in the even....  

Rory fired back with platitudes about God and Country....Not:

“Everyone has to look out for themselves and next year I’m looking out for me,”

McIlroy said. “At the same time, I don’t have to make a decision on it. 

“I didn’t say that it was a definite. It’s up in the air. I don’t have to make a decision till May. We’ll see how it goes. McGinley is on the European Tour board, he’s involved and he has to protect what he has and I get it. 

“Everyone has to do what’s best for them and, for me next year, I’m trying to do what’s best for me to help get back to the best player in the world and try to win majors again.”

At least it's honest, no matter how self-centered....  I have to say, though, it's a bad look for the Ulsterman.  He should play those four events in Europe because it's the right thing to do, not because McGinley is threatening to withhold the cart keys in 2032.

A Failure To Communicate -  Davis Love might be the nicest guy in the game, as he continues his apology tour to deflect the heat from Jim Furyk.  As unofficial host this week in Sea Island, he used his presser to confirm that Paris in September was not as bad as it looked:

Davis Love III says improved communication among Ryder Cup brass and players would help frustrations from festering into problems. 

Love, who was an assistant captain in Paris when the Americans lost 17.5-10.5, was asked about the biggest lesson he learned from the loss during his Wednesday press conference at the RSM Classic. 

“I just think we need to communicate a little bit better as a team. That doesn’t mean just the captains or just the players. I think we need to get to know each other even better and communicate a little bit better so little frustrations don’t turn into problems,” said Love, the tournament’s host. “I said there was a few things I could have done better that I apologized to [captain] Jim [Furyk] for that we just didn’t see early enough or deal with during the year.”

So, when exactly are you saying that Patrick was told he's play with Tiger?  Oh, who really cares anymore....

But does he think we're buying this?

“We hate to lose, but I think we’re still positive about the future,” he said. “Except for a couple little things that have created a big stir afterwards, we all got along great and we had a lot of fun and we had a great time even leaving and flying home and communicating afterwards.”

Is that inclusive of the Bash Bros. dust-up?  I liked this bit as well:

Love said the U.S. had a lot of tired players who played poorly in the playoffs and into Paris, or players who were in form but then ran out of gas. He thinks the new schedule, with the Tour Championship finishing earlier, will benefit the Americans.

Yeah, that's the ticket....  I find this funny because in the triumphalism leading up to Paris, the genius that is Phil tried to convince us that the FedEx Cup was part of his master plan to keep our players sharp heading into the Ryder Cup.  However one comes down on this issue it's patently silly, because the top Euro players are there as well....

Also Unhappy - My man-crush on Geoff Ogilvy continues unabated, though I feel for him on this issue:

Unfortunately, the Australian Open appears to be stuck in a bit of a rut. Tiger Woods has

participated in the event and past winners include Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. 

But in this week’s edition, Scott, Jason Day and Marc Leishman are famous countrymen who have decided not to be a part of the field. 

It signals the continuing issues the event has with getting the strong fields it used to. And Aussies can’t help but take notice. 

“I hate to say this, but the Australian Open feels like a second-rate tournament now,” Geoff Ogilvy said, per Golfmagic.com. “I’m sure it is run in the same way it was 30 years ago, but tournaments elsewhere have progressed so much, and the differences show.”

For anyone with an appreciation of golf history, this is sad, though Geoff gets a failing grade for his diagnostic skills:

“No one did anything wrong to create that part of this scenario. It’s just what has happened,” Ogilvy said. “But plenty of mistakes have also been made along the way.”

I can see where he might feel the need to be diplomatic, but this is a direct result of Commissioner Ratched's desire to span the globe like a colossus....  I'll keep the rant to a minimum, but in maintaining a twelve-month schedule the PGA Tour sucks up all the oxygen necessary for golf to flourish elsewhere.  Keep that in mind the next time you hear them speak of growing the game....

The Match, The Hype - They're trying awfully hard to grab our Jacksons.... I beat Shack to the excellent Dave Shedloski backgrounder, which I'll use as an excuse to excerpt this bit on their future plans:

All along the plan has been to create a franchise of high-stakes matches. So, too, is the aspect of players squaring off, said one source, “for a full PGA Tour purse in one-day events.” In other words, taking the tour’s concept of early-round featured pairings to a new level with an immediate payoff. 

Woods and Mickelson would own such a series, which Loy said could include the two competing together as teammates. That would have the unmistakable feel of Challenge Golf, the 1960s TV series in which Arnold Palmer and Gary Player were the featured team against a collection of high-profile professionals. “We hope to see other players involved. You might see Phil and Tiger against players at the top of the world rankings, or two players from the same nation,” Loy said. “But, obviously, a lot depends on the pay-per-view numbers. We’re optimistic about it.”

I don't remember that Challenge Golf series at all, but it also reminds of Tiger's events from the early aughts, which should be a cautionary tale for the promoters.   They drew some eyeballs for the early events, but couldn't sustain interest in the face of some lame play....

Shack also has this press release detailing the talking heads involved:

Turner Sports Announces Commentators for Live PPV Coverage of Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Philon Friday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. ET

Sports Emmy Award Winner Ernie Johnson to Call Unprecedented PPV Match with Darren Clarke & Peter Jacobsen, Along with Reporters Natalie Gulbis & Shane Bacon

Adam Lefkoe to Host The Pre-Match Show Presented by Capital One with Pat Perez, Samuel L. Jackson & Charles Barkley on Friday, Nov. 23, Beginning at 2 p.m. ET

Turner Sports’ live PPV coverage of Capital One’s The Match: Tiger vs. Phil, the highly-anticipated showdown between the iconic Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, will be led by Sports Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Ernie Johnson providing play-by-play, alongside analysts Darren Clarke – 2011 Open Championship winner – and NBC Sports/Golf Channel’s Peter Jacobsen, and reporters Shane Bacon and LPGA veteran Natalie Gulbis. The broadcast team will provide commentary throughout the winner-take-all $9 million match play competition, to be held Friday, Nov. 23, at Noon PT / 3 p.m. ET (suggested retail price of $19.99) from the exclusive Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.

Additionally, Turner Sports will produce The Pre-Match Show Presented by Capital One – Friday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. ET – offering fans a look inside the preparation of Woods and Mickelson immediately preceding the main event. The pre-show coverage – including footage of Woods and Mickelson warming up on the putting green and driving range – will be a combination of sports and entertainment.

Bleacher Report’s Adam Lefkoe will host the one-hour, pre-match show with three-time PGA Tour winner Pat Perez, along with Samuel L. Jackson and Charles Barkley, among other special guests. The pre-show commentator team will also be integrated into the live event coverage at select moments during the competition.

Ernie ""Human Ambien" Johnson is inevitable give the TNT connection, but I feel myself nodding off already....  

They're harping on the betting opportunities, and we have actual movement there:

With the Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson $9 million match just over a week away, gamblers in Las Vegas continue to love Woods, just not as much as before. 

Woods is now a -200 favorite to win The Match straight up. That means one must wager $200 to net $100 if Woods were to win. Woods had been as high as -220 just two weeks ago. Bettors appear to be hedging as the pay-per-view event to be held at Shadow Creek Golf Club moves closer. 

Mickelson, meanwhile, sits at +170 on the money line, meaning a bettor would net $170 on a $100 wager if Mickelson were to win. 

Lefty was at +175 last week.

It's cute that they think it's about love....  I'm not now nor have I ever been a professional gambler, but it's also possible they they found the need to give better odds to make anyone pluck down Benjamins on Phil....  Just sayin'.  Certainly anyone that watched the Ryder Cup might be a tough sell....

As for that pre-game show, Charles and Samuel L. are my go-to sources for all things golf.  Not that I could pick Ada, Lefkoe out of a police line-up....

 Have a great weekend.