I'm actually teeing it up this morning, which skipped my mind yesterday. So, since you went to the trouble of stopping by, here's some damned content for you....
Presser Day - Thanks to Shack, we have lots of juicy quotes from yesterday's pressers, beginning with you-know-who... First, on the schedule:
Q. You haven't gone major to major without playing all that often in your career, but as you look ahead now, is it something you might consider doing more often? And just sort of how do you weigh the need for reps versus the need for rest at this point?
TIGER WOODS: You know, that's a great question because the only other time where I've taken four weeks off prior to major championships is going from the British Open tothe PGA. Usually that was my summer break, and take those four weeks off and then get ready for the PGA, Firestone and the fall. So I'm always looking for breaks. Generally it's after the Masters I used to take four weeks off there. Now, with the condensed schedule, it's trying to find breaks.
You know, I wanted to play at Quail Hollow, but to be honest with you, I wasn't ready yet to start the grind of practicing and preparing and logging all those hours again. I was lifting -- my numbers were good. I was feeling good in the gym, but I wasn't mentally prepared to log in the hours.
The reaction to this has been amusing, as folks have gone back into the vault to find comps, though those comps from the waybac machine aren't terribly comparable. But he's not going to play very much going forward, so we'll see how sharp he looks out of the gate...
But still with the lifting.... Is he also still clinging to his desire to be a Navy seal?
This got some attention as well:
Q. Tiger, more minorities and young women are taking up the sport than before because of all of the initiatives in place, but that isn't reflected in the college participation numbers. Asians are the only minorities that are showing an increase. What do you think is happening? Why aren't the kids who are taking up the game sticking with it?
TIGER WOODS: You know, that's the question for all of us that's been a difficult one to figure out, to put our finger on. The First Tee has done an amazing job of creating facilities and creating atmospheres for kids to be introduced to the game, but also have some type of sustainability within the game.
But it's difficult. There are so many different things that are pulling at kids to go different directions. Golf is just merely one of the vehicles.
Now, with today's -- as I said, there's so many different things that kids can get into and go towards that honestly playing five hours, five and a half hours of a sport just doesn't sound too appealing. That's one of the things that we've tried to increase is the pace of play and try and make sure that's faster, because most of us in this room, if you've gone probably five minutes without checking your phone, you're jonesing. Kids are the same way; five hours on a golf course seems pretty boring.
I was reliably informed that as long as we don't make the kids learn difficult words like halve and hazard, that it's all taken care of....
Of course, this might garner more pixels than the two above combined:
Then, instead of offering up the canned response many pros — and perhaps the old Tiger — would have given, Woods delivered a pointed jab.
“As far as JD taking a cart? Well,” Tiger said, before pausing as a wide grin broke across his face. “I walked with a broken leg, so…”
The laughs that followed from Tiger’s ribbing proved that it was all in good fun and not a serious criticism of Big John.
Yeah! But then again Tiger is an athlete, and JD is a cautionary tale.... JD should consider his cheese options with this:
Daly, who has arthritis in his right knee and applied to use a cart through the Americanswith Disabilities Act, said diabetes is another reason he will be using the cart when competition begins Thursday. He said he wishes Woods had “all the facts” before he commented on the matter.
“Might have been a different comment,’’ Daly, 53, told USA TODAY Sports. “As well as the Golf Channel Wednesday morning, when they bashed me pretty good, and a few others (who criticized Daly).’’
This is an unforced error by the PGA of America... I'm old enough to remember when they beat their chest over the strength of their field. Then, like the USGA, they got Masters envy and started inviting former champions. So, Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel and Mark Brooks get curtain calls, and the rest of us roll our eyes....
Have you considered the possibility that the photo above is why millennials won't play golf?
Shack has a fun piece at Golfweek on the early-week tedium, but he doesn't pull any punches about this reprobate:
Never mind that Daly won his PGA during George H.W. Bush’s presidency and hasn’t been capable of winning another in two decades. He has little chance of starting, much less finishing 36 holes this week and hasn’t made a cut in this major since 2012.
Also never mind that he was playing the slots instead of rehabbing his body when contacted by the AP last week regarding his successful ADA request. But do mind that this is what constitutes as golf news on Tuesday of the first PGA Championship in May (since 1949).
The people charge with "saving" our game think this clown show is helpful? Now I really am worried about the future of our game.
The Holder - John Feinstein goes all in on Brooksie:
Brandel Chamblee is absolutely right when he says that Brooks Koepka isn’t in the same class as a golfer with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson.
That’s because, right now, he’s better than all three of them.
In my opinion—which is biased because he’s a friend and a former colleague—Chamblee is the best golf analyst currently working on TV. For nine years, I had the chance to watch him prepare to go on-air. He and Frank Nobilo together were notably diligent in their research prior to every single telecast.
Part of the reason Chamblee is so good is his willingness to climb out on limbs whether on the subject of Tiger Woods’ golf swing; the lack of Ryder Cup leadership provided in the last 20 years by Woods and Phil Mickelson; or Rory McIlroy saying he’d watch the Olympic sports “that mattered” in 2016—golf not being one of them.
It was a really curious comment by Brandel, putting his chips on the two biggest underachievers out there. The guy has won three of his last seven majors, and has shown up on leaderboards in the other four as well. So, yeah, I think the guy can play a little...
You know who thinks that as well? The man himself, form yesterday's presser:
Q. We've heard you say several times majors are the easiest to win; yet that seems too simple for complicated minds. What has led you to internalize this approach which clearly seems to be a winning approach?
BROOKS KOEPKA: The easiest way I can break it down is there's -- what is there, 140 --JON DEVER: 156 in the field.
BROOKS KOEPKA: 156 in the field, so you figure at least 80 of them I'm just going to beat. From there, the other -- you figure about half of them won't play well from there, soyou're down to about maybe 35. And then from 35, some of them just -- pressure is going to get to them. It only leaves you with a few more, and you've just got to beat those guys.
If you just hang around -- I think one of the big things that I've learned over the last few years is you don't need to win it, you don't have to try to go win it. Just hang around. If you hang around, good things are going to happen.
So I think that's what's kind of caused me an issue in the regular PGA TOUR events. I've gone out on Saturday and tried to build a cushion, maybe pressed a little bit too hard and gotten ahead of myself, where in the majors I just stay in the moment. I never think one hole ahead. I'm not thinking about tomorrow. I'm not thinking about the next shot. I'm just thinking about what I've got to do right then and there. And I kind of dummy it down and make it very simple, and I think that's what helps me.
Can we get names for those first eight? I'm guessing we'll find JD there....
This is very similar to Jack's thoughts on the matter. He used to also say that majors were the easiest events to win, because half the field was too scared to win a major....
John Feinstein isn't the only one all-in on Brooksie, as this was the answer when Brooks was asked how many majors he might win:
“I don’t see any reason it can’t get to double digits,” Koepka said.
hate to be a buzzkill, but my guess is that Tiger will be the last guy to get to double-digits.... It's just that hard to win them.
Udder Stuff - TaylorMade is riffing on that famous sign on their staff bags this week:
OK, I know it's too small to read....
If its extremely addictive, why did you try to sell us on that Hack Golf nonsense a few years back?
Alex Myers On The Weather - I'm guessing he hasn't looked at that list of future venues:
Random tournament fact: It rains basically non-stop when Bethpage Black holds a major, and it doesn’t look like that’s changing this year. The whole May thing should work a lot better in Texas. Then again, they had weather delays in Dallas over the weekend.
Rochester, NY in May 2023 will be magical.... perhaps Alex hopes to be out of the business by then?
But he does furnish yet another reason to avoid the Sung Kang bandwagon:
WE'RE SELLING
Sung Kang’s pace: If an alleged cheating incident kept the Kang love to a minimum on Golf Twitter, the excessive amount of time he took between hitting shots didn’t help. Neither did CBS for that matter. Like with Jim Furyk, you have to adjust and not show the guy’s entire pre-shot routine. It’s brutal.
Ignoring, in any event.
Alan Bastable riffs amusingly on the famous Bethpage sign, first at this watery hole:
He saves his best for last:
Is he gonna lay up with this one as well?
How Hard Is It Really? - I've played Black some 7-8 times, and it's the kind of course that claims your soul. I've never experienced another place that similarly robs me of the ability to swing a golf club, and it also takes me about two weeks from which to recover.
That said, these Golf.com panelists are essentially correct when it comes to the elite players:
Is Bethpage Black more or less difficult than its fearsome reputation? Why? Any courses you have played that are more difficult?
Panelist 1: Less difficult, much so, because its putting surfaces are flattish and not nearly as treacherous as courses like Winged Foot, Merion, Oakland Hills et al. Bethpage is long, strategic, relatively narrow (with above average-length rough) and well-bunkered. These factors make the “regular” set-up for amateurs very difficult. But if set-ups are comparable, I think that many courses including Winged Foot and Oakmont are more difficult.
Panelist 2: Less difficult than that Double Black Diamond sign on the first tee indicates, but more difficult to walk than expected. A long day’s march! If you accept bogey, it’s very manageable. Kiawah Ocean Course and Blackwolf Run River are more difficult to score on. Oakmont is much harder on the greens. Pine Valley is the toughest to hit a recovery shot on the green.
Panelist 3: While undoubtedly the toughest muni course around, it pales in difficulty when compared to the likes of Oakmont, Butler National, Pine Valley, Winged Foot, or Kiawah. Tee-to-green at Bethpage Black is quite demanding, yet once on the dance floor, the putting surfaces aren’t nearly as challenging.
Panelist 4: Less difficult as compared to courses like Oakmont and Merion. I agree that the greens are much more manageable.
The greens are relatively tame, excepting perhaps No. 15... which leads nicely to this one:
What is the hardest/scariest hole?
Panelist 1: The par-4 16th. It’s very long and narrow. Missing the fairway virtually precludes hitting the very elevated green and any recovery is very challenging. Plus, even though it’s been recently muted, it is the course’s most severe putting surface.
Panelist 2: The 16th. Over 450 yards, even from the whites. At this point, the prospects of a birdie coming in are dim.
Panelist 3: The 15th remains the hardest hole. Errant drives leave little chance of reaching the heavily sloped and well-perched green. Despite its recent neutering, the slope on No. 15 make it the scariest two-putt. Five deserves an honorable mention for its acute premium it puts on hitting an accurate tee shot.
Panelist 4: The 16th, unless you stripe it down the middle.
I like that, because No. 15 gets all the press, but the next one is just as difficult. I'd also throw in No. 7 playing as a two-shotter.....
This will surprise exactly no one:
What hole would you change/improve and how would you do it?
Panelist 1: The 18th is a bit of a downer, with big bunkers right and left off the tee and a relatively large, flattish green. Significant changes would require land from the Red Course but an angled drive would be preferred. For that matter, I prefer the closing hole on the Red Course to this one.
Panelist 2: The 18th. Almost out of character with the rest of the course. Tight driving area. In general, what I’d improve is the conditioning on the whole course. “Ragged” is the best word for the few times I’ve played it.
Panelist 3: Yep, 18 is the hands-down candidate. The obvious solution is to borrow some land from the Red Course, yet absent that, I’d lose the overdone Rees Jones pinch bunkering and move the green 40 yards to the right.
Panelist 4: See above. No drama on second shot and green is nondescript.
The hole is simply too short to test these guys, and there's no way to lengthen it. Red 18 is a better golf hole, but a bit of a walk to get to.... But it's brutal for the paying customer, and the rest of the golf course is sufficiently challenging.
Who Ya Got? - Shack has a post aggregating picks, and I love his lede:
Prognosticating golf tournaments is generally a fool’s game.
Yup. And I'm just the fool....
Shack gives us ten to watch, although the utility of listing DJ, Tiger and Brooks escapes me.....The Golfweek crew split evenly between the last two major winners, including Geoff's choice:
Tiger Woods
While it may seem odd that he will turn up at the second major without having competed since winning the Masters, Tiger Woods is coming off an epic win. The confidence he exudes suggests Woods has found swing keys and a level of clarity hearkening to his best years. Also, his record in U.S. Opens at Bethpage is strong— a win in 2002 and T6 in 2009, while most of the world’s elite players have had little success in events played over the Black Course. While it will be playing about 8,500 yards after a rainy spring, Woods doesn’t care. He has his iron game locked in and his long iron game is superior. He reverses last year’s PGA Championship finish by edging Brooks Koepka in a playoff.Geoff Shackelford
I guess he went for edgy in predicting a Tiger-Brooksie playoff. Anyone know which three holes they'll play?
Mikey Bams concurs:
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The best golfers have astounding memories, for courses, for shots, for tournaments. Jack Nicklaus can tell you what he did in junior tournaments in the 1950s as if they were played yesterday. He’ll spell the last name of the kid he was playing with. Tiger Woods is third on the all-time Golfers with a Good Memory list, but he’s trailing Ben Hogan by only the slimmest of margins. And now that Tiger is coming back to a course where he’s had success — when Woods won the 2002 U.S. Open here, on the long, hilly Bethpage Black course, he was the only person to break par — his good memory will only help him. In other words, yes, he’ll probably win this week.
Now the memory thing will only take you so far, of course. How useful is a good memory without expert execution? It’s not. But there’s a lot to be said for knowing how a putt will break, when a driver is too much club and what it’s like to be in the hunt. One thing, among many things, that became obvious in Woods’ win at Augusta one month ago was that Woods remembered what it’s like to play a hard course in an important tournament while in contention. Yes, you can break out the bike-riding analogy. Tiger’s 43 and he’s been playing competitive golf for about 35 years now. It wasn’t like he forgot how to win, or how to play shots under pressure, or how to read the 16th green from the 16th tee.
He doesn’t forget, period.
Probably? Care to make it interesting? I'll take the field even up....
Whiplash warning, here's that very same Mikey Bams from the Golf.com gang's picks:
Michael Bamberger: Brooks Koepka. Best player in the world, and on hard courses only better. Long, wet course in breezy, cool conditions? No problem for this tough hombre.
They're both good....Some love to be found for DJ and X-Man as well, but those two names are clearly dominating.
It's perplexing, but Mike Stachura is here to sort through it for us:
PGA Championship 2019: The can't-miss, sure-fire, obvious-but-not-obvious choice to win at Bethpage
Just a one minor problem, that he sounds much like your favorite golf blogger:
When we are desperate, our minds turn to desperate things. This sounds like a proverb or even Biblical wisdom. It is not. It is a cry for help. Or at least an explanation for the behavior that is to follow. Desperation is a peculiar affliction, usually resulting in bad
One of these is unlike the other. combinations and poor choices that when displayed in public distinctly reveal that something has gone quite off the rails.
Like how I determine my pick to win major championships, for instance.
As many know, I’ve never been correct in picking a major champion. That’s not unusual—you should see me at the deli counter. What’s troubling is how I plow through mountains of statistics to get the wrong answer every time. My selection process is sort of like trying to weigh the nutritional merits of mortadella vs. meat jelly. (Pro tip: “Meat” and “jelly” used together is a sure sign of a tragic miscalculation, like “rhinoceros” and “ballet” or “quinoa” and “sundae” or “social” and “network.”)
I guess Mike had Justin Rose at The Masters as well? Mike's got quite the twist for you, so I shan't spoil it.
Neither Mike nor anyone else has chosen this former rock star:
With the PGA Championship’s move to May, Jordan Spieth is the next man up in the race to try and become just the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam. Rory McIlroymissed his chance, again, at the Masters, and Phil Mickelson must wait for another June and the U.S. Open.
The good news for the 25-year-old Texan on Sunday at the AT&T Byrson Nelson? His 138 total over the final two rounds was his lowest on a weekend this season.
The bad news? Spieth tied for 29th, a dozen strokes back of winner Sung Kang, after shooting an even-par 71 on Sunday, his highest score of the week by three shots and just two better than the highest number posted all day.
“I was very disappointed with even par, just with how scoreable the conditions are, but, you know, I feel like I made some progress,” Spieth said to reporters. “Like the way I putted this week, continuing to putt better and better each week which is nice, frees the long game up.
“Better this week than it has been any week this year, so feels like good stuff coming. Just stay the course.”
Eh, a bumpy course it has been.
But he's so close.....
My pick? Nah, wouldn't be prudent....After all, I've been reliably informed that it's a fool's game.
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