Midweek Musings

Just a few items for your perusal this morning....

Scenes From The Riv - Tiger's got "Enhanced Status"....  And no, not the kind that caused that spot of bother back in '09:

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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- The annual PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club that is now run by Tiger Woods' foundation will get a big upgrade beginning in 2020,putting it in the same status as tournaments associated with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. 

Sources told ESPN that the Genesis Open will receive "elevated status,'' which means it will have a significantly higher purse, offer a three-year PGA Tour exemption to the

winner (up from two years) and will have an invitational field that will be reduced to 120 players. This week's tournament at Riviera will have 144 players. 

According to sources, an announcement on the new status for the tournament is expected to be made Wednesday, when Woods addresses the media after playing in the tournament pro-am.

Isn't that special?  But, and you'll be waiting for this, is it really necessary to vaporize those 24 spots in the field?

Shack has mixed feelings:

I have mixed feelings as anything that elevates such a historic stop is exciting while rewarding the role of Woods and Genesis for making a long term commitment. It’s a wealth of riches for the L.A. stop given Tiger’s involvement, the cache of Riviera and a prime spot on the calendar for drawing big audiences. 

Reducing the field from 144 to 120 is, in part, a statement about the inability of getting a full field around Riviera this time of year. As I noted for Golfweek, a tournament that has gone from 156 to 144 to 120 should open a few eyes to the perils of chasing distance to the point a course cannot defend itself or function. Slow play is often more than just about golfers not making up their mind.

The downside to this news?

The event has been an “Open” competition since 1926 and with that comes a spot for the local PGA section, amateur qualifiers or the successful “Collegiate Showcase” replacement. Throw in four Monday qualifying spots and we know larger fields deliver more storylines, diversity and competitiveness. They also help offset some of the dead weight that turns up too often ( welcome again to LA Vijay, enjoy LAX on a Friday night!).

It's all about diversity, yet he trashes the one Fijian in the field!

Joking aside, the loss of playing slots has all sorts of implications, most of which point towards the rich getting richer.  Like the WGC's, these invitationals award easy FedEx points to those that qualify, lending more rigidity to the system and further rewarding those that start above the cutoff line.

It's a great event on a historic venue, but this becomes a necessity because they can no longer get 156, or even 144, players around the joint during the available daylight.  Sheesh!

If you're proudly in the "Don't Know Much About History" crowd, Pat Ralph has you covered with nine facts about Riviera:

The origin of the course: Golf was becoming more popular in Southern California in the 1920s, and the Los Angeles Athletic Club wanted to build a premier course that was

located outside of the traffic and congestion in LA. With its location in Pacific Palisades about 40 minutes outside of downtown LA, Riviera Country Club was founded in 1926. George C. Thomas, who had just finished putting together Bel-Air Country Club roughly 15 minutes away, was tasked with the course design. Despite not liking the course’s location in the Santa Monica Canyon, Thomas put together 15 different versions of the design over 18 months. The course officially opened for business in 1927.

Notable members of Riviera: Because of its proximity to The Entertainment Capital of the World, Riviera has attracted some of the biggest Hollywood stars to the country club. Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Glen Campbell, and Dean Martin are just some of the famous names who have been members at Riviera. In fact, the late country music singer Campbell was the host of the Los Angeles Open from 1971-1983.

Was Bogie not a member?   After all, we'll hear about his tree all week....

In noting the detritus clogging up the field, Shack missed this guy, who wants us to know that it's all because of a genetic predisposition:

Happy to be in my first @pgatour event of the season and have my brother on the bag again this year. I’ve obviously had some time to reflect, and want to again say I’m sorry

to my fans and fellow competitors. What happened is not an example I want to set, and it's not who I truly am. I am an emotional player and while I believe that's one of my biggest strengths, it's also one of my biggest flaws. I’m focused on working hard to channel that emotion the correct way and to be the best me, learn from it and move forward. Thanks for all the support.

You know the drill, #sorrynotsorry....  But you know who else was emotional?  That Seve guy...perhaps Sergio might want to avail himself of the constant screening of that movie tribute on Golf Channel.  Because despite the Latin Blood coursing through his veins, Seve managed to navigate his career without either spitting in the cup or damaging greens.

Pebble Detritus - The Open will be upon us, so there's always time to revisit this iconic venue.

First up is Andy Johnson of The Fried Egg, a wonderful blog/podcast focused on architectural issues.  In this post he offers a simple solution to the resort, and I encourage you to give it a read.  For me, I just want to steal one picture from his post, of the famed seventh hole:

That's how the green looked and played at the famous 1929 U.S. Amateur, the one in which Bobby Jones surprisingly lost in the first round and, with time on his hands, took a spin around Cypress Point.

This was the look of the course after the famous Chandler Egan renovation in 1028, one that had uncredited input from Robert Hunter, Roger Lapham and Alister MacKenzie.  As with Pinehurst and TPC Sawgrass, that wild, natural look was lost to the ages, but isn't it spectacular?

With all due respect to Andy, I know what I'd like them to do with the golf course....  and I'm pretty sure Coore-Crenshaw would be happy to help them out.

Does anyone remember the name Jim Nelford?  Probably not, I certainly didn't, though I suspect you remember that famous Hale Irwin tee shot on No. 18 that fortuitously hot the only rock in the Pacific Ocean and bounced back into the fairway...  Nelford was the victim, and I highly recommend this Morning Drive interview:

H/T Shack, who also helpfully includes this Pebble highlight reel, including Irwin's shot referenced above.

All good stuff, though the purist in me needs to remind folks that the human chain with Jack Lemmon was at Cypress Point.  Just sayin'....

Scenes From the Vic - Did you catch any of it on Golf Channel?  An Aussie event, actually two simultaneous events...  Mark Clayton pens an ode to this year's version, in which the show ponies apparently fold down the stretch:

Years ago when the Victorian Open’s model was to bring out famous players including

Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange and Lee Trevino it became something of a failed crusade to get one of them over the line. 

Miller lost to Geoff Parslow, the local club pro at Yarra Yarra. Palmer was beaten by a four-time champion Guy Wolstenholme and Rodger Davis knocked over Player at Kingston Heath. 

Whether they won of lost didn’t really matter. Their presence was enough to attract the attention of the press and the public and give the tournament prestige. Having Greg Norman play every year didn’t hurt either. 

At 13th Beach this week Canadian star Brooke Henderson called in sick on Monday. Karrie Webb played a brilliant round on Friday then followed it was a depressing 82 to miss the final day cut. Minjee Lee was one shot too many to see any Sunday action.

Geoff Ogilvy, like Webb a US Open champion, made the cut but fumbled his way to a final day 76 and in the end beat only one player home.

What's not to love?  Concurrent men's and women's event, great venues and no ropes....

 John Huggan gave up his day job to loop in the event, but noted the allure of such a venue:

In this ever-more technological age, one where Trackman rather the thinking or imaginative (wo)man rules golf at the highest levels, the game by the seaside remains an art form no amount of science will ever truly master. You want evidence of this immutable fact? I give you the third round of the ISPS Handa Vic Open at 13th Beach.

On a day when the golf provided a little bit of everything, the weather did likewise. And so, in turn, did the Beach Course. Which was no surprise really. The clue is in the title.

The temperature ran all the way from cold to hot and back again. The wind blew in unpredictable gusts that at times made decision-making a lottery at best. As sharp, squally showers made things, at least briefly, all but intolerable, the Aussie summer became a Scottish Autumn. Golf by numbers morphed into golf by numbness.

Ah, but here’s the thing. Through all of the above the course stayed playable. But only for those with the nous to put aside their yardage books, their preconceived notions and, invariably, their sky-high ball-flights. This was links golf at its best, a game for artistes, for virtuosoes, for composers of beautiful, ‘classical’ shots created by imagination and flair, never by mere calculation.

So it was that, amidst some inevitable carnage - scores in the high 70s and low 80s - the opportunity was there for the truly skilful to separate themselves from the pack. 

Although some previous and no doubt practical experience in the prevailing conditions was clearly an advantage, too. Being born British or Irish, for example. Dubliner Paul Dunne - who, as an amateur, led the 2015 Open at St. Andrews with a round to play - is right in contention. And Englishman Callum Shinkwin, who could and should have won the Scottish Open in similar conditions at Dundonald two years ago is another making the most of his upbringing.

Then again, memories can be short sometimes.

It's the best golf on the planet, even though the location makes it unlikely that it was a true links....  yanno, warm weather grasses and such.

The Wrong Direction - For an organization hopelessly out of touch with its membership, this seems to be yet another tone deaf move:

The PGA of America — already planning to move its headquarters from Florida to Frisco — now also plans to open an office in Manhattan. 

The New York City sales office is expected to house between 10 and 12 employees at 27th Street and Park Avenue. The office will spearhead the PGA of America’s corporate sales, sponsorship and media efforts. 

The organization would not disclose the size or exact address of the office as it finalizes the lease. 

“Given the strength of our sales focus, we will have a place that is centrally located,” said Jeff Price, chief commercial officer for the PGA of America. “We’ll keep a sales team there. We will have a strong commercial presence.” 

The PGA of America, which runs the PGA Championship and other high-profile events such as the Ryder Cup in the U.S., the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Senior PGA Championship, has been on a sales streak of late with recent new deals with Cadillac, AIG, Michelob Ultra and BMW, which signed on as a worldwide Ryder Cup partner.

Yes they run high profile events, though what exactly they do for their 29,000 dues-paying members remains elusive....  And few of those member sare to be found at 27th St. and Park Avenue South.  Now we should be grateful for the location, it's not top of the line NYC real estate, but they're so status conscious that I suspect the elision of "South" was intentional.

That'll have to suffice for today.... But who knows what gems I'll unearth tomorrow.