Midweek Musings

From where I sit, it's either watch women's golf this week, or don't watch golf.  And with half the Yankees' roster on the disabled injured list (exactly how did the USGA get baseball to change their terminology as well?), it'll be the ANA and ANWA for this guy.

Go Time for the Girls - Beth Ann Nichols previews a certain new event:

EVANS, Ga. – Jennifer Kupcho, the No. 1 amateur in the world, hadn’t really thought about what it will mean to be the first player to strike a shot at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur until she was asked about it. 

There are historical moments around every corner this week. Saturday’s final round at Augusta National will be bursting at the seams with them. 

“It’s crazy that they’re actually letting us play the course,” marveled Kupcho. 

On Monday, players gathered for a Players Welcome Reception at SRP Park, a baseball stadium in North Augusta, S.C. (yes, you read that correctly), home of the Augusta GreenJackets, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple A affiliate. The players hit 70-yard shots down onto the field where caddies shagged the balls. There were fireworks and Tiffany bracelets to mark the occasion.

But not to use their range, apparently.... It's called the Augusta National Women's Amateur, but that should come with a Roger Maris asterisk:

Before they get to Augusta National 

But before Augusta, there’s Champions Retreat, a 27-hole facility with nines designed by 

Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer. 

Rain pushed back Tuesday’s low-key practice round at Champions Retreat, where players pulled out long irons and hybirds a bit more than expected. 

The signage, food (including prices), merchandise and pairings sheet look the same as what you’d find at the Masters. The logo is different, of course, and the scoreboards are electronic, but there are enough similarities here to make it feel like we’re in a neighboring zip code.

Beth Ann's header says that 72 women will make history, but perhaps we should be purchasing those asterisks in bulk:

On Tuesday night, most of these women will take their first trip down Magnolia Lane for the Chairman’s Dinner. 

It’s about to get real. 

Of the 72 players, only the top 30 will get to compete in the final round on Saturday. There will be a playoff, if necessary, on Thursday after 36 holes at Champions Retreat to decide the cut. It will be live-streamed on Golf Channel as well as ANWA’s official website. 

Friday’s forecast calls for morning rain, but the afternoon should be clear. All 72 players get the chance to tee it up on Friday for a closed practice round. There will be no fans, no media. Each player gets to designate a guest (in addition to her caddie) that can join them in what’s sure to be a special walk.

Only thirty get to play it in competition, but they'll let the other 42 hack it around.  

The girls did get dinner, though to my knowledge there was no movie:

This is a great thing, and it's great that they chose to focus on the amateurs.  But couldn't they figure out a way to avoid the conflict with the Dinah Shore?  

Because the Dinah is a big deal in women's golf, more than just a handful of amateur invites:

The ANA week is about more than its five amateur invites. The ANA Junior Inspiration is played the week before the women’s first major, with LPGA legends occupying an important role in the event. LPGA legends play alongside juniors in the final round and also attend the ANA Junior Dinner. There’s a mentorship philosophy woven into the entire amateur element of the ANA.

Mike Whan is putting on a brave face:

LPGA commissioner Mike Whan told GolfChannel.com Tuesday that his team will huddle with Garrett and ANA officials after this week’s event, to evaluate whether they can co-exist in future years in the same week as the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. 

“We are going to take a look about 30 days after,” Whan said. “We figured let’s just play one and not get wigged out about it.

“I think there’s the potential the media coverage will end up being dramatically greater this week,” Whan said. “Everyone has their reporters talking about women’s golf. When’s the last time we can say that? Even when we play the U.S. Women’s Open, I’m not sure that happens.”

Mike, I'm sorry, but perhaps you didn't get the memo.  The USGA and R&A have removed "wigged out" from the golf vernacular, and replaced it with "tied."  I know, it doesn't make sense to me either, but those guys sure know what they're doing.

Geoff has lots to add to this discussion, including this feature worth seeking out:

And first of many plugs: I’ve worked with Golf Channel’s Dominic Dastoli on a feature that will air during ANWA Live From coverage that looks at Bobby Jones and the role several all-time great female amateurs played in his life.

I would assume that the great  Marion Hollins would put in an appearance... 

He also has video that your Luddite blogger is incapable of embedding, with this nugget:

If video is your thing, here is Golf Central’s setup, followed by Matt Adams and I discussing what we’re most interested in seeing. Hint: we both picked the golf course and how these women tackle Augusta National.

I think that will actually disappoint, though admittedly I have no clue as to the yardage the gals will play.  Remember, this is a club that for reasons of aesthetics allows only two tee boxes per hole.... Since one of those is for Bubba, I'm guessing this will tax the players.

Mexico's Maria Fassi, the ninth-ranked amateur player in the world, is keeping a diary, though perhaps she should have avoided the usual stereotypes:

Tonight we’re going to the Chairman’s Dinner at the clubhouse. I’m never been to Augusta National before, so it’s going to be super exciting just to drive down Magnolia Lane and be at such a historic place. 

I’m especially looking forward to the shopping experience they have planned in the pro shop. We get to pick two shirts, a pullover and a hat from our tournament. Then we can just buy whatever we want. They are bringing everything that we buy to our room and leaving it there for us. Every little detail has been taken of.

I guess we solved all those equal pay and glass ceiling issue, now girls just wanna...go shopping.  

Masters Stuff -  I had hopes of staying clear of this little event until next week, but it's not actually possible.  So we'll dip our toe into that pool, but focus on the light and amusing stuff....

We'll start with some heresy, architectural writer  Ron Whitten's solicitation of ideas to improve the ANGC course.  I know, but here's how things have change since the Reign of terror that was Clifford Roberts:

Among championship courses, Augusta National has been modified more than most, dating back to the late 1930s when the seventh and 10th greens were relocated. So change is not a taboo topic. 

How can Augusta National be improved? That’s the question I posed to a dozen prominent golf course architects back in 1998 and not one of them would go on record with a suggestion. Faced with such a dry hole, this writer resorted to proposing his own changes to Augusta’s closing four holes in a piece entitled, “Masters Makeover” in that year's April issue.

Tom Doak recommends restoring the original Mackenzie green shape to No. 9. 

Roberts actually died in 1977, but clearly there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.

This is a really interesting read, and you'll learn an awful lot about the course and its constant tweaking since it opened in the early 1930's.  I'll excerpt only this summary of the feedback Whitten received:

There were a couple of common themes. Most feel that holes should be widened out, by eliminating the rough (what Augusta National officials call “the second cut”) or by eliminating some of the pine trees planted in the last two decades. “Tree planting has nullified some of the strategic opportunities that this incredible course used to offer,” says one architect, John Fought. 

“The club has instituted rigid tree planting,” says another, Brian Silva. “Everything is planted in rows. It looks artificial.” 

Several also feel that the bunkers could be reshaped to add a bit more movement and flair, in keeping with those of original architect Alister MacKenzie. (The only MacKenzie bunker still in existence at Augusta National is the one in the fairway on the par-4 10th, a gorgeous creation not really in play for Masters competitors.)

Those trees are quite awful.... On No. 11 for sure, and most notably for me on No. 15...

Tom Doak raises an issue about which I have long wondered, is this golf course fun to play for the members?  We might get a hint at that on Saturday, but it seems increasingly all about that second weekend in April, which seems a shame.

Submitted for your approval is this great header:

Masters 2019: If millennials ran the Masters

Be still my foolish heart, can they possibly deliver on this premise?  This is a pretty good start:

Here's the premise:

The year is 2049. Cole Sprouse is president of the United States and a mostly cybernetic Tiger Woods is still stuck on 14 majors. Across the world, the dreaded millennial has risen to the highest echelons of power, even at the Masters, where time once stood still. 

With much of the old guard retired to the Great Par 5 in the sky, the new leadership has made a few tweaks to the tournament's time-honored formula, and we're here to help get you acclimated. So before you teleport down to the People's Republic of Georgia for your annual spring pilgrimage, check out the full list of changes below...and whatever you do, don't forget to pack your own pimento.

Hmmmm, do they now get participation crystal?

Participatory green jackets for all competitors 

Optional soft-serve ice cream outing available for players who miss the cut.

I think crystal is funnier, but it does require a certain base of knowledge.  What else?

Vegan pimento "cheese" sandwiches made with free-range oat milk

This one is for Shack, who'll be doing his merchandise tent bit early next week:

Merchandise shop now offers "Gender-Neutral Cave" essentials 

There's also an Apple Store on the second floor.

And this one is for Jordan:

Player therapist kiosks available at 5, 12, and 18 

Pace of play still a hot-button issue.

I do hope, for his sake, that it's on the tee, rather than the green.   Otherwise he might be a little late for his appointment.

It's that time of year, folks...  Think interviews under the oak tree, Dave Loggins tickling the ivories (and ebonies, no letters please) and...well, scripting.

First we have Tiger's, and he's all-in on the mocks:

Sorry, to me this is about Tiger's only fashion faux pas...  I just can't warm up to the look.

Under Armour has shared Jordan's full outfits with us, and he seems to be channeling his inner Seve on Sunday:

At this point, seeing Jordan on the weekend seems like a big ask.... 

Adidas amusingly scripts Alex Myers buddies trip:

White shorts, Alex?  Is that wise?

Alex shares much of the behind-the-scenes logistics that are involved, including the absurdly long lead times.  That said, we all love free stuff....

Alex was wise to keep his item factual and interesting, as the best scripting parody comes from Employee No. 2's hero (this was from last year's Masters):

Tony Finau is announcing new footwear for the event, at least for the Par-3:

That was an April Fools Day joke, in case you weren't certain....

It's that time when our brackets have been crushed, so how about a bracket of another sort?

March Madness! Masters office pools! All this bracketology is making us hungry. 

And curious. 

Question at hand: In a Sweet (or is it Salty?) 16 showdown of famously affordable Masters concessions, which menu item would come out on top? 

Our winning bracket is filled out below.

Those prices are so cheap that I assume that's from the 1934 inaugural event.

Oh, and he didn't actually provide a bracket.... just sayin'.

Jess Marksbury asked a series of players for bits that us plebes don't know about the place:

-“No. 1 is the hardest green on the course.”

-“There’s no menu. You just ask for what you want and it appears.”

-“The whipped lemonade in the men’s locker room is unbelievable. It had like, blended sugar foam on top. It was a dream.”

-“The trees are cut so they all lean in toward the fairway. Check it out! There are no branches on the outside of the trees!”

-“The Masters champion has to pick up the tab for the Champions dinner. And it’s expensive.”

Those last two have my attention, though I'm having trouble believing that the winner gets a bill the next April.

This seems an odd framing of a profile of the defender:

Perspective: Defending Masters champion Patrick Reed keeps focus on titles, allies

 The latter should be too distracting, as there's only the two of them...

The menu seems pretty conventional"

Here’s where Reed contradicts himself, in the media room at the Sentry Tournament of

Champions in Maui, while describing his Masters Champions Dinner menu. Bone-in rib eye steak. Mac and cheese. Creamed corn. 

“I want to please everyone there,” Reed said. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all the past champions and everybody, and I want everyone to have a great time.”

I do hope Patrick has discussed the cost of the ribeye with the club, because he's apparently paying for it...  But I don't think the Mac-n-cheese or creamed corn can hurt him too badly.

We'll leave things here and pick up again tomorrow.