Midweek Musings

And not just any week, but Players Week.... Yanno, Fifth of Four and all.

Ponte Vedra Pontifications - John Hawkins punctures the major myth with an unflattering reference:

If the Players Championship were a prizefighter, Larry Holmes would get the part without an audition. A dominant heavyweight but rarely thought of as one of boxing’s all-time greats, Holmes fought far past his prime in pursuit of love and respect and was still taking punches into his 50s. 

No golf tournament is promoted more tirelessly or jabbed at more frequently than the Players, which turns 45 this week and has the granite chin to prove it. Best field in the game. Biggest purse. Course wired for thrills and spills. That “fifth major” claim dates to Deane Beman’s days as PGA Tour commissioner, a hollow boast in that golf’s most important events need not and cannot anoint themselves. 

Besides, if the Players is such a big deal, why was it moved from March to May in 2007, then back to March this year? (Also, why has Phil Mickelson waited until the 11th hour to commit? You’d never see him pulling those shenanigans at Augusta.) It’s an obvious accommodation to the FedEx Cup playoffs, which now finish in August to avoid competing with the almighty NFL for television viewers. Big picture? The shift makes a bunch of sense. Especially for the PGA of America, which eagerly migrated its own major to the vacant May slot in search of stronger TV ratings and better course conditions.

Pretty much, though I'm still thinking that Larry Holmes wants to know what exactly he did wrong to be dragged into this bit?  

It's obvious that this event requires no upper case letters, but it's the absence of a major under Tour control that drives all their actions.  But it's amusing and more than just a little ironic to see them diminish their own creation as they chase the next shiny object.

Now I hate to pick on an old man, but does anyone see these comments as helpful:

“The public and the press have fully embraced five majors for the ladies,” Beman reminded me the other day, referring to the LPGA bestowing major-hood on the Evian Masters in 2013. “Same thing for the [Champions] Tour, correct?” 

Beman is 80, a quarter of a century removed from his tenure as commish, but he remains stiletto-sharp and full of strong takes. “If the players themselves insisted that it’s a major and embraced their own championship, they’d be playing for an additional $50 million a year,” he said. “As it is, they’re leaving all that money on the table. It makes no sense to me.”

There's a whole bunch of crazy to unpack there, but I'll just leave you with the amusing thought of the lads taking their cue from that tour where the caddies line up their players.... or at least used to.  But Dean, why are such a piker, if five majors is good, why not eight or ten?

What muses me most is that The Players by any reasonable standard is a huge success, one of the biggest events of the year on an iconic course created by the Tour.  Yet they seem unimpressed with their handiwork....

Dylan Dethier goes for something similar, though assuredly more amusing:

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Over the years, the term “Fifth Beatle”has been used

to describe people not named Lennon, McCartney, Harrison or Starr who touched the band’s orbit in some meaningful way. But of course, once the group settled into its identity, there were four Beatles. Exactly four. In short, if you’re a fifth Beatle, you are not, in fact, a Beatle. That’s the whole point of the term. 

Over the years, the Players Championship has similarly been designated golf’s “fifth major,” a title that, in my mind at least, has always clearly meant it is not a part of the game’s Fab Four. Like the Beatles, the Ghostbusters or professional tennis, golf has four majors. But that’s a tired debate. Instead, let’s stop defining the Players by what it isn’t and shift our attention to what it is. The Players is one of the game’s premier events and returns to the same memorable course every year, fires up golf fans everywhere for the start of their own golf season and now even has its own theme song. In short, it’s the Masters — just Florida-fied. The Florida Masters holds a crucially important position in golf’s hierarchy, and by allowing that it belongs in its own category — not a major, not a fifth major, but the Florida Masters — we can set it free.

Hmmmm.... I'm thinking Ringo as the PGA Championship. Definitely the luckiest man/tourney on the planet....

But reality intrudes, because there was a fifth Beatle, George Martin.  And the honorary title meant something, reflecting his profound contribution to the band's output....  So, it doesn't really work, but it was a pleasant digression.

Dylan does go on a funny riff after he dispenses with the Fab Four bit:

THE LOCATION 

It’s Masters-y… It’s behind a gate, and you’d better have a tee time or a good reason for that gateman to let you in. 

…but Floridafied. It’s expensive as hell to play, but there are no good-ol’-boy Southern connections needed to gain entry here. In a nod to Florida’s consumerist culture, money alone will gain you entrance. TPC Sawgrass is a public course that you yourself can play next week for the low price of $550! Bonus points for essentially being located in a retirement community.

And the inevitable....

THE SIGNATURE HOLE 

It’s Masters-y… Like Augusta’s 12th (we can have the what’s-Augusta’s-signature-hole debate another time, bear with me) the signature hole at TPC Sawgrass is a par-3 with a famous water hazard that demands precision off the tee. 

…but Floridafied. Because at this point No. 17 at the Players is a show of its own, built within a massive stadium, a shot with binary results — dry or wet. The island green is a symbol of Florida Golf, manufactured and dug out of the ground, and it’s great fun — but it’s hard to imagine at Augusta.

He loses me when he gets to the clubhouse....

Shack seems to prefer March to May:

TPC Sawgrass is greener thanks to the overseed of cool-season perennial ryegrass. But will it be more forgiving, or just a lot more interesting? 

While no less testing thanks to Pete Dye’s intimidating design features, the change in hue has players believing that more length and aggressiveness will be necessary to contend in the first March Players Championship since 2007. At a golf course that lost some of its dramatic appeal during May playings, the change in vibe has players considering a more aggressive approach despite TPC Sawgrass’ ability to punish the presumptuous. 

“This golf course is very interesting from a mindset point of view,” said Justin Rose. “I think overall you’re going to have to be a little more aggressive in your mindset.”

Certainly those three finishing holes will play tougher:

While his original vision of swamp golf featured a course far rougher around the edges than almost anything golf had seen when it opened in 1982, this year’s edition of TPC Sawgrass looks infinitely easier. However, subtle touches may lure players into a false sense of security, including more of the pine straw areas closer to landing areas at holes 1, 9 and 16, and shorter rough bringing the perimeter trees into play. Whether the visual appeals fuel an increase in driver usage or attacks of greens from so-so lies, remains to be seen since players are still getting used to early spring wind directions and slower fairways. 

“It’s just the golf course plays so much shorter in May than it does in March,” said Tiger Woods, citing his use of a 3-wood and 3-iron into the 18th hole Tuesday compared to a 3-iron and 9-iron last year. “We’re going to have to hit more clubs off the tees, have a little bit longer clubs into the greens, but the difference is the greens are much slower and much more receptive.”

I guess that's what he means by playing more aggressively, but to me it's just gonna play longer, and if those clubs Tiger cites are remotely consistent through the field, it's back to being a bear.

The Forecaddies uses this week to salute the recently departed Alice Dye.  Have you seen the flag's they're using on No. 17?

To his credit, he's got some history that I'm not sure I ever heard:

“Perhaps it was the memory of Strong’s island green, but I knew we had happened onto something special,” Pete Dye wrote about his decision to make the hole an island green.

He was referring to architect Herbert Bertram Strong’s island green on the Ocean Course at Ponte Vedra. “Alice’s enthusiasm matched mine – and (then PGA Tour commissioner) Deane Beman’s when we told him.” 

Pete being Pete, this is where Alice saved the day. 

“At the time I didn’t really think the 17th would be all that difficult, so I sloped the back portion of the green toward the water,” he wrote. “Alice told me that if I left the green that way, she could envision the television announcers notifying the viewing audience that play in the championship was being held up because 25 foursomes were still waiting on the 17th tee for the lead player to keep his ball on the green!” 

Alice was correct, given how difficult the upper shelf plays at a flat elevation.

“After some thought, I was convinced Alice was right, so that portion of the green was raised,” Pete Dye wrote.

Make that thirty foursomes because, you know, J.B. is in the field....

You want numbers?  Gotcha covered:

11. 4: The depth in feet of the water that surrounds the island green.

12. 10: The number of cameras that NBC and Golf Channel have used for the hole.

13. 60: The distance in feet of Tiger Woods’ famous “Better than Most” birdie putt in the 2001 Players Championship.

14. 8: The number of holes-in-one at the island green.

Only eight aces?  That does surprise me....  I'm most interested to see what clubs they'll hit, as the last twelve years it hasn't been anything longer than a gap wedge.

Paul Tesori, looper for the defender, has a video on how to play the finishing stretch that I've not watched (it may be behind a paywall).  He also had this on a certain long walk on Sunday:

I've been on Webb Simpson’s bag for eight years now. Last May was a career highlight when we won the Players Championship. In doing so, we had to survive the famous island-green 17th. After birdieing 16 on Sunday, our lead was six, but it wasn’t time to

exhale yet. We saw two days earlier what can happen on 17: In a tricky wind, Webb backed off his tee shot twice before clanking one off the bulkhead and into the water. We were able to sneak off with a double bogey—on a day when we were an incredible 11 under through 16 holes! 

Making the walk to 17 tee on Sunday, my goal was to make sure Webb got a mental break. I had a plan. I call it “premeditated sports talk.” Webber and I love sports, and when we get going on games or players, it gives us off-time from golf. So with 10,000 amped-up fans waiting on 17, I said to Webb, “I think the Rockets are gonna beat the Warriors, and here’s why.” I took the underdog, and Webb jumped right in: “Are you kidding me? Golden State has too many superstars.” We went on like this all the way to the tee. Webb thought I had lost my mind. It was all basketball, no golf. Mission accomplished.

It's very unique for sure.  Your first look at it comes as you play No. 16, and that walk is quite a thing without the grandstands....   But all that with a 6-shot lead?  

Tiger Scat - Geoff seems less interested in the putting coach than the baggy shorts:

Such a bad look that even Frank has to avert his gaze....

About that putting coach:

Woods played a practice round with Justin Thomas and Trey Mullinax Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass and consulted with Thomas’ coach Matt Killen on and off throughout the

morning. 

The two have known each other for a while and spent some time talking at the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, where Woods was a vice-captain. Woods has since played several practice rounds with Thomas and said that Killen is familiar with his game as a result. 

“I wanted him to take a look at it and see what he thought of where my setup looked like now versus all the times I’ve putted well,” Woods said. “I’ve putted well with different postures throughout my career. I’ve done different things. But I wanted him to take a look at it, and then he mentioned a few things. As I’ve started to feel a little bit better this week or this past week, then the putting definitely freed up.”

Well, he has certainly struggled with the putter, but the linkage with his neck issue is unclear.  But time is short and we don't know if he'll add an event before you-know-what, so it will add interest to this week's play.  One last bit:

“The longer you play, we’re all going to have patches where we just don’t putt well and where we make everything,” Woods said. “And I’ve had my share of runs where I’ve really played well.”

Ya think?  Although recency might be an issue....

Dan As GOAT -  Jenkins, of course, with his GOAT Invitational.... here's the background:

EDITOR'S NOTE: Golf Digest Writer-at-Large and World Golf Hall of Famer Dan Jenkins died March 7 at age 90. In his final piece for us, he introduces Golf Digest's Greatest of All Time Invitational, with the top 32 in the mythical event advancing from stroke-play qualifying at Augusta National to match play. Beginning daily March 20, Senior Writer Guy Yocom will document the match-play results, leading to the final at Pebble Beach. Screenwriter Mark Frost, whose books have included "The Greatest Game Ever Played" and "The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever," will write two versions of the final with different winners.

OK, shall we dive in?

It will undoubtedly transcend the majors this year, if I've looked up the word correctly. I speak of Golf Digest's Greatest of All Time Invitational—The GOAT, for short—that started at the Augusta National Golf Club. It was one of the most fascinating

tournaments ever contested, although in the end it was somewhat predictable that an immortal would win it, seeing as how there were very few lurkers and slugs in the field.

The competition was touched with sentiment throughout. It began with the opening ceremony on the No. 1 tee Thursday. Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, in their three-piece wool suits that blended in with the color of their beards and sideburns, hit the ceremonial tee shots. They each nailed a gutty down the middle of the fairway, Young Tom's drive carrying more than 70 yards in the air. 

In an interview later in the morning, Young Tom said he might have gotten more distance if it hadn't been for the fact that he was dead. The elite 72 competitors were very much alive, however, and in the prime of their careers, eager to decide who would prevail at 72 holes of stroke play. 

The tournament committee wisely sent out the three fastest players in golf history in the first group: Byron Nelson, Tom Watson and Lanny Wadkins. They might not be the three fastest if you count those early years of the British Open when Prestwick was a 12-hole golf course and a light-running 52 was a terrific round, but they were plenty fast enough.

There's more golf history contained therein than perhaps all of Mark Frost's books, so enjoy.  I'm about halfway through, and won't provide any more excerpts because I can't decide on my favorites.

 Seriously, a fly on Lloyd Mangrum's ball to the lie about the Vardon Grip.....  So much to absorb, and a much defter touch than that fake Tiger interview.

There's talk of a road trip tomorrow, so we'll see if that leaves time fro blogging.