Late Week Lamentations

Thank you Dear readers for not protesting too harshly my two-day absence....  Yes, golf was played, but the time was well-used to take care of some family business as well.  

Yesterday at Engineer's was its typical delight.  A bizarre mixture of heavy Jewish food and Golden Era architecture on steroids....  Those greens are a national treasure, though they will bring a fellow to his knees a few times each round.  This is the centennial of their 1919 PGA Championship, and they had some wonderful B&W photos from that event on display.

They continue to tweak the afternoon Par-3 scramble, which now features eight-man scramble teams playing nine one-shotters and one cross-country hole, played from the 13th tee to the 15th green.  Last year eight of us agonizingly missed a ten-foot eagle putt (it's a Par-7), but this year we bagged it.

There is one little thing that I should share at this point, which is that we might have to wait until Tuesday to wrap the weekend.  A last bit of business may require my presence Monday morning, but do check back because we've reschedule once already.

Now, how about some blogging?

Slow Down, You're Moving Too Fast.... - Did you ever catch this quote:

“It’s actually quite impressive that we’re able to get all that stuff done in 45 seconds; people don’t realize that it’s very difficult to do everything we do in 45 seconds.” -Bryson DeChambeau

Well, I agree completely that it would be, though in the speaker's case it's more of a hypothetical.

Andy Johnson of The Fried Egg spent some time at Pebble with a stopwatch in his hand:

On Friday afternoon of the U.S. Open, I followed Bryson DeChambeau, Kevin Kisner, and Justin Thomas, and I timed all of their shots except tap-ins for the entire front nine. I chose this group because DeChambeau has drawn considerable criticism for slow play 

The perfect photo, Kis and JT waiting on Bryson.

from both media and fellow pros, whereas Kevin Kisner has a reputation as one of the Tour’s quickest. Seeing the two side-by-side offered an intriguing perspective. 

As DeChambeau, Kisner, and Thomas worked their way through Pebble Beach’s front nine, I recorded the amount of time it took each player to hit each shot from the moment that it became clear the previous shot had ended. I also noted the order in which they played their shots within the group. To determine the exact start time for each shot, I simply used common sense. On approach shots, I started the clock when both caddie and player had arrived at the ball and the group ahead had vacated the green. On successive shots within the group, I started it when the previous shot had clearly ended—that is, when the previous player had picked up his tee, or when the preceding putt or chip had been marked, etc.

The results are below. The numbers in the left column—1, 2, and 3—represent the order in which the player hit the shot within the group. 1* signifies shots for which a player was first in the order but had to wait on the group ahead or called for a ruling. Finally, I have color coded the times: green = a time under 40 seconds; yellow = a time between 40-60 seconds; and red = a time over 60 seconds.

It's not a river of red.... but it's close enough for one of the three:

The problem, of course, is that Kis ends up having to play at Bryson's pace, a decided advantage for the latter.  

As we've covered repeatedly, we're nowhere's near have an enforcement regime that works, so Bryson will remain free to make the moment last.

Better Late Than.... - This story in the hands of Alistair Tait will yield predictable results, a good thing indeed:

Walk through the streets of Gullane, Scotland Thursday and you might just hear a ticking 

sound. The hands on the clock in the clubhouse of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers just started moving again. 

Time no longer stands still at Muirfield, where the Honourable Company has played golf for 275 years. In all that time, women have played the Open Championship layout, but only as guests. They’ll now be able to do so as equals. 

The club announced Thursday that it has extended invitations to women to join its ranks.

It almost seems that he thinks this took too long....

“This year marks the 275th anniversary of the club’s first recorded golf competition. We are proud of our club’s rich history but equally excited for its future and the part all of our new members will play in the club’s cherished traditions.”

C'mon, admit it, those 275 years just flew by....

He close with the inevitable poke at the club's name:

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the members club attached to the R&A, voted to accept women members in 2014. Two years later, Honourable Company members voted not to accept women into the club. Muirfield was taken off the Open Championship rota as a result. 

The club did an about-face a year later when it held another vote. This time 80% of membership voted in favour of women becoming members. Today’s announcement is the result of that vote. 

It’s about time, too. It beggars belief that a club with “honourable” in its title has taken nearly 300 years to do the honorable thing.

They weren't getting another Open Championship until they followed through because, dammit, if the R&A had to do so, so would the venue clubs.  Ironically, it will likely be the very same women offered membership to both.

Golfer Behaving Badly - Dan Kilbridge has no chance with this, though I had hoped for more:

Some players take out their frustration on caddies, but what behavior crosses the line?

Dan recounts the Jordan bit from the eighth hole at Pebble, then gives Stewart Cink the mic:

That all depends on who you asked. Every player-caddie relationship is different, as are their opinions on what’s acceptable and what isn’t. 

“People chime in from all corners of the world saying it’s (Spieth) mistreating his caddie, where anybody who’s spent time with him knows it’s not,” Brandt Snedeker said. 

“People say he’s mistreating Michael. Not even close to the truth. It doesn’t portray us in the best light … (but) a caddie’s whole job in a player-caddie relationship is if you need to vent, being able to vent and get it out of your system so next shot you’re ready to go.” 

Others players think those comments should take place in private, if they need saying at all.

Golf can be human frailty on parade. so we might want to give all these guys a break.... And Dan seems to go to pains to avoid the serial abusers of caddies, such as Robert Allenby.

Dan, to his credit, does get to the more interesting aspect of Grellergate, which is the demarcation between caddie and player responsibility.  They both have the same information and they both agree on the club selection, but when the "perfect" shot ends up wet, Jordan seems reluctant to share in the credit....

Twitterati - Alex Myers devotes one of his The Grind columns to a ranking of golf personalities on Twitter....I love it, though I wonder how welcome he'll be in Tour locker rooms after this.

For instance, he gives Rickie an honorable mention nod, but then sticks in the shiv:

Rickie sneaks on here because he’s easily one of the five most popular players on the PGA Tour. And yes, he also has a famous WAG.

Otherwise, his tweets/Instagrams are as barren as his collection of major championship trophies. Sorry, that was harsh. Love ya, Rick. And can you please provide plenty of pics from your upcoming wedding? Thanks.

Might have been harsh, but of greater import is that it's funny...

This guy is too new to know real well, though I'm guessing that we'll come to enjoy his:

10.) Max Homa 

Arguably golf’s top Twitterer, Homa has the ability to start a thread that turns into a successful post just by relating a personal anecdote. He did so recently by admitting he doesn’t tell Uber drivers what he does for a living because he wants to keep the chit-chat to a minimum. It was honest, funny, and it drew fantastic responses from fellow tour pros. Here, let's randomly go check out what Max's latest tweet is at the time of this post. 

Cute.

While we already love the goofy Henrik, how cool is this bit:

He also once drove down Magnolia Lane blasting Ice, Ice, Baby. The man is a treasure.

Way to stick it to the man, Henrik.

 Good fun with lots of video.

Slugger's Shot - Guy Yocum's My Shot feature has occupied the last page of Golf Digest for as long as I can remember, and it always delivers the goods.  This latest installment feature rules official Slugger White, who answers the question on most folks' mind:

I played on the PGA Tour. From 1976 through ’79, I made exactly $32,279 out here. It

actually was enough to break even, and it helped that I was able to supplement it by playing the mini-tours. Those events, I actually could win. A $2,500 check for a win at a tournament played somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson felt huge. In Waterloo, Iowa, I won a car, which I immediately sold back to the dealer for $6,000. It was a scrambling kind of life, but I enjoyed it. There were moments when I felt on the verge of really making it. 

In the newspaper agate results, I went by my given name, Carlton White. But I’ve gone by Slugger my whole life. I was a large baby, and my dad nicknamed me after an Army buddy of his who, like my dad, was a boxer. My dad was a good fighter, a Golden Gloves champion who had 21 pro fights. He fought Sugar Ray Robinson in Sugar Ray’s real early days as a pro, which makes it hard to find in the record books, but he did it. Dad lost the fight by decision and told me he thought he’d done pretty well—until the next morning, when both eyes were so swollen he couldn’t see for three days.

This makes me like JT even more:

The most impressive player on tour, rules-wise, is Justin Thomas. Charles Howell is excellent, but Justin is incredible, especially for one so young. He’s a rules fanatic, constantly approaching me with questions and hypotheticals. At the CJ Cup in South Korea in 2017, Justin was in a playoff with Marc Leishman. As we’re walking down the fairway, Justin calls me over and starts bombarding me with rules questions. He wasn’t in a rules situation, he just wanted to chat up the rules in that “What if you whiff a wrong ball?” kind of way. I couldn’t believe it. He’s playing for almost $1.7 million first prize and his fifth victory of the year, and he wants to talk shop. He won the playoff.

Alas, this is just pig-headed and wrong:

Backstopping—one player deliberately leaving his ball on the green in a position to assist another player—is more a manufactured issue than a real one. Going back to my playing days, it never was a serious point of concern. I think so much golf is seen on TV now that when an instance arises, the whole world sees it. It’s made players more sensitive and eager to avoid the appearance of evil. I see and hear more, “Better let me run up and mark that” than ever.

Really, Slugger?  So when Jimmy Walker asks his playing partner, "Would you like me to leave that there?", that's OK in your book?  But if players are marking their balls to avoid any impropriety, haven't we proved our point?

A Rough 'Hood -  Stephen Hennessy tries to have some fun with a crime blotter report from....wait for it, The Villages:

The swanky 55-and-over community of The Villages, with more than 100,000 seniors with a huge interest in golf, is essentially the mecca of retired life. More than 600 holes of golf are on property in this swampland about an hour from Orlando. 

The news making the rounds on Wednesday is sure to shake this group of seniors up just a little bit. 

According to TheVillagesNews.com (real site), the son of one of the Villages residents stole another resident's golf clubs last week. Andrew Lawrence Simpson, according to the report, stole a women's set of clubs from one of the courses on site, Mallory Hill Country Club, which he then sold at a nearby pawn shop for $333. The clubs had an estimated value, according to the report, of $4,314.

I didn't think that news days ever got quite this slow, but Stephen fails to find a single item of interest or humor in this report.  Amusingly, he seems to think that folks at this location play with caddies, so perhaps he needs to get out more.

I doubt that golf club thefts are rampant there, but you know what is?

Though The Villages – which spans three counties with 40,000 homes and more than 70,000 residents – boasts 34 golf courses, nine country clubs, two downtown squares and a slew of restaurants and bars, getting lucky is one of the residents’ primary pastimes. 

The huge complex began growing rapidly in the mid-1990s, and reported cases of gonorrhea rocketed from 152 to 245, of syphilis rose from 17 to 33, and of chlamydia from 52 to 115 among those 55 and older in Florida from 1995 to 2005. 

The state’s sexually transmitted disease rate among those over 65 is one of the fastest growing in the country, one report claims. 

In 2006, a local gynecologist reported that she treated more cases of herpes and human papillomavirus at The Villages than she did when she worked in Miami.

So, which of these stories do you think is funnier?

Be The Ball -  It's Ball-Day at Golf.com, and I'm wondering if it's in reaction to this story:

At the 1945 Los Angeles Open, Bing Crosby gave Sam Snead a brand-new Spalding Dot. At the time, rubber wasn’t publicly available; “pre-war” golf balls were going for

over $100/dozen. Snead repped Wilson at the time, but he took the Spalding and played it the entire 72 holes, even as the cover came loose, and won the tournament in the process. 

In 1902, Sandy Herd showed up at the British Open with a new rubber-wound Haskell golf ball and played two qualifying rounds, then the four tournament rounds, all with the same ball. He won, too. 

So Alex Chiarella’s one-ball win at the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open this past weekend wasn’t unprecedented — but it was a throwback to a different time. Chiarella, 25, shot 20 under over four rounds to capture his first Mackenzie Tour win, using a Titleist 1 the entire time. Friday night, Chiarella considered putting in a freshie. 

“I looked at my buddy who I was staying with that night and said, ‘Man, I have some good mojo with this ball. Would it be weird to keep this going on the weekend?'” Chiarella told the PGA Tour. “He said, ‘No dude, tee it up tomorrow.’ There were a few scuffs on it, so I did it. I played with it on Saturday and then asked him the same question Saturday night, and he’s like, ‘Dude, there is no way you’re putting the ball out of the bag. Tee that thing up in the morning.'”

Perhaps an overzealous interpretation of the one-ball rule?  Fun story and lots of great history, including this from the Waybac machine:

For the average golfer, the biggest reason to change balls is out of necessity — a 2009 GOLF Magazine study found that even avid golfers lose 1.3 balls per round. For pros, it’s more about conditioning. In 1899, golfers playing the new gutta percha found that it flew shorter than a feathery, but a nicked, scratched ball would fly up to 60 percent farther(inspiring dimple technology in the process). That’s not the case now. Most golf balls have soft covers to maximize feel, and most pros have clean grooves and high swing speed, meaning every short iron or wedge compression can result in a scuffed ball.

Ah, the guttie...  But I didn't know they flew further when scarred.  The guttie led to the falling out between Old Tom Morris and Alan Robertson, which led to Old Tom decamping to Prestwick, which led to...well, just about everything.

Which leads to this rumination:

How long can you use a golf ball before noticing a performance drop-off? We have your answer

I'm tempted to ask the same about my swing... We'll get to their answer, though for most folks it's as long as you want:

According to a Titleist representative, “they have considerable communication with ‘regular’ golfers as well who will write us about the durability and performance of our golf balls with images of the golf ball having played over 120 consecutive holes with the same ball.” 

In other words, if the ball takes on wear during the normal course of play, the average golfer won’t see a drop-off in performance. However, that changes when the ball, for example, catches the cart path or ricochets off a tree and incurs a scuff larger than the size of a dime. 

“Our normal rule of thumb for regular golfers is as long as paint loss, a scuff or defacement of the golf ball is less than the size of a dime, it should be good to go,” the representative said. 

With significant improvements to the overall durability of the elastomer cover, it’s no longer a requirement to rotate balls like it was during the heyday of the liquid-filled balata.

They're amazingly durable, as the manufacturers can count on us losing them at a rapid pace.

As for this accompanying piece on golf ball fittings, it really should have carried a paid advertisement warning.  Years ago I had a ball fitting from Bridgestone which was comically duplicitous, so I'm a bit of a skeptic on this subject.  A thorough fitting would be too arduous and subjective, especially as compared to the price point of the product.  Add to that the lack of differentiation, the balls all pretty much are the same technology, that I don't see this going very far.

I'll bid you adieu, and look to catch up next week. 

Tuesday Tastings

Just a quick note to warn about the blogging schedule the next few days....  Thursday will be dark, as it's the Engineer's Country Club Member-Guest.  The club, as is well known, has had its struggles and was sold a couple of years ago to a private investor.  But they continue to treat us well at this event, including last year's delightful addition of a cross-country hole to the afternoon scramble.  But mostly I go for the ritual humiliation on their wild greens....

Tomorrow is also a golf day, though the start is in that gray area in which blogging could be possible if I'm so motivated....  Or I could just drink coffee by the pool....Time will tell.

Motown Mojo - In this year of contraction, Detroit somehow managed to land itself a spanking-new event on the PGA Tour's calendar.  The Free Press with the local angle, beginning with that last Buick-sponsored event in 2009:

When Woods finally left Michigan after the last Buick Open, he left it in darkness. Pro golf had all but deserted the state, which was still in the throes of a global financial crisis that led to General Motors and Chrysler requiring a federal bailout. Corporate dollars to

sponsor tournaments had dried up.

But an hour south of Grand Blanc, there was a quiet wisp of hope. Almost as soon as the lights had been turned out at Warwick Hills, a flicker emerged from Detroit Golf Club. Eventually, it turned into a beacon. 

“So if you go back to right after the demise of the Buick Open,” Detroit Golf Club president Andy Glassberg said, “there was a lot of discussion in the city about how can we get an event back in the area?”

It all came down to two minor variables, a sponsor and a date on the Tour's calendar, and they got lucky with both.  Add in a Tom Doak restoration and, voila, we're in detroit this week.

It's a nice story, because of the game's deep roots in this community:

"It's so huge, because of this state's and the Metro Detroit area's golf roots, that extend all the way back to the 19th century," said Lynn Henning, a recently retired Detroit News sportswriter who was editor of PGA Magazine from 1989-94 and a senior writer and editor of Golfweek from 1996-98. 

"To see that reclaimed and to see the appetite, the hunger for big-name pro golf in Michigan is not only refreshing, but it's deserved."

While that history includes Jack, Ben, Arnie and Gary, it also unfortunately includes this:

Oh, and there have been Ryder Cups, most notably Team Europe's thrashing of Team

USA at Oakland Hills in 2004 — when U.S. captain Hal Sutton thought it was a good idea to team up then-mortal enemies Woods and Phil Mickelson. It didn't go well. 

"One guy goes way to the left, and the other guy goes way to the right," said Berry, the 2007 recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award. 

"And they hardly ever met again."

Good times.

You might have heard talk that Detroit has fallen on hard times, but that's of course not a golf story.  Until it is:

The employees who are making Detroit Golf Club a playable PGA Tour-caliber golf

course this week are calling for the end of negotiations and a new contract. If it doesn’t happen by the time the Rocket Mortgage Classic tees off on Thursday, then the union says it’s willing to strike. 

“Come (Thursday) when this tournament starts,” said Kevin Moore, president of local union, Teamsters Local 299, and executive board member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, “we’re going to do what we have to do. Demonstrations, strikes, whatever is at our disposal.”

It's their time of maximum leverage, and they will use it to maximum effect.

To steal an amusing meme, the last Republican Mayor of Detroit left office in 1962, and things have gone swimmingly since then.

With Jordan in Remission... - Under Armour needs some sizzle, so this reveal makes sense:

Stephen Curry unveiled his Under Armour Range Unlimited Golf collection at the world’s largest golf facility, Mission Hills in Shenzhen, China, during the 2019 UA

Basketball Asia Tour. 

Under Armour describes Curry’s Range Unlimited Collection as being a combination of his off-court and on-course style and the latest innovations, materials and designs from Under Armour Golf. 

The collection is comprised of 14 total pieces including tops, bottoms, outerwear, a Curry 6 spikeless golf shoe and hats and will be available for purchase Fall 2019. 

“You want to be able to make bold statements with some loud prints… it still has the performance technology with Iso-Chill that makes you feel cool out there on the course,” Curry said. “There is always a performance element to making athletes better and that is what we do at Under Armour, so blending those two perspectives was what made this capsule different from anything else you’ve seen.”

OK, I don't care much about his clothing line, but can you make out that logo on that hat?  Maybe this will help:

I do so try to stay current on these razy kids and their memes.... and I seem to remember that that symbol had some darker meaning....  What was it now?  OK, perhaps "darker" wasn't exactly the right term....Straight from the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh:

Really, you can't make this crap up....  Steph Curry: Worst.  White.  Supremacist.  Ever.

Golfers Behaving Badly - Matt Wallace is known as a bit of a hot-head, but this is straight from the Jordan Spieth playbook:

Hotheaded Englishman Matt Wallace drew the ire of fans on social media on Sunday when he berated his caddie while in contention on the back nine of the BMW International in Munich. 

Wallace’s visible frustration was caught on the SkySports broadcast throughout the round, coming to a head several times. On the par-3 12th, viewers reported Wallace’s anger with caddie Dave McNeilly after his tee shot sailed long. 

Wallace, the defending champion, still stepped to the 18th tee very much in contention, needing a birdie to rejoin the lead. Instead, he hooked his tee shot into the water and went on to make bogey. Cameras picked up a tense moment with Wallace going at McNeilly again. 

Wallace would go on to make bogey, finishing two shots outside the playoff between Matthew Fitzpatrick and eventual winner Andrea Pavan. 

The behavior was the second time in as many weeks that Wallace has run hot on the golf course. Despite a strong T12 finish at last week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Wallace was captured in several moments of frustration, tossing a putter on one occasion, turning his hat backwards on another. The behavior drew pointed criticism from SkySports analyst Rich Beem. “I’m sorry but I just don’t enjoy watching that,” he said. “I know you’re intense, but get over yourself.”

That last bit is good advice for all of us, but boys will be boys....

As an aside, I heard nothing of how Jordan and Greller got on in Hartford after their issues at Pebble.  Of course, they only had to suck it up and pretend to like each other for two days....

Golfers Behaving Really Badly - It's no fun watching caddies being berated, though this unbelievable story will render that quaint in comparison:

According to Santa Maria police, a long-standing feud between three men boiled over Friday at the golf course of the Casa Grande Estates. Minutes after the trio was witnessed arguing, gunshots were fired. One man was fatally shot inside the Casa Grande clubhouse while another was found dead on the grass nearby, according to the Santa Maria Times. 

After the shooting, police believe the suspect returned to his home. Moments later his home went up in flames following a small explosion, Police Chief Phil Hansen told the AP. The fire spread to nearby homes before it could be put out by firefighters. A situation made worse as ammunition was exploding from the gunman's home.

"All throughout the firefighting efforts, ammunition was cooking off," Hansen told the AP.

Authorities initially found two bodies— one of which is believed to be the gunman’s— in the rubble, but officials said on Saturday an additional victim had been located. Their names will be released after the coroner’s office confirms their identities. 

Neighbors told the Santa Maria Times that one of the victims is likely the suspect's son.

Guys, please don't do this....

At the risk of sounding a tad insensitive, Casa Grande Mobile Estates is just an epic name for a trailer park, no?  It's enough to make one forget Del Boca Vista Phase II.

And how about this closer:

Santa Maria police have not released any other information, including what started the argument, at this time.

Shouldn't we be more interested in what started the fire?

No Relief In Sight - He's no closer to his thirty-nine weeks of network coverage, and now comes word of the towel in the ring for next year as well:

The ANA isn’t moving. LPGA commissioner Mike Whan shared that update at a media

roundtable on Friday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. 

Officials discussed moving the LPGA’s first major because it conflicts with the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which in its first year overshadowed the ANA in every way possible. Next year’s event will be played in its traditional slot of the week before the Masters, April 2-5. 

That’s a shame, because two of the most celebrated weeks in women’s golf shouldn’t have to compete against each other.

As Mike explains, the adjoining weeks all cause issues:

Why not move it one week ahead? 

Because of TV. Going against the Dell Technologies Match Play would move the ANA to three nights of tape-delayed coverage and the overall televised hours would drop from 26 hours to nine or 10. 

Can’t have that. 

Moving it to the week after the Masters would put the event up against Coachella, meaning higher hotel costs and limited availability. Not to mention warmer weather and even fewer fans and volunteers as many residents have left the desert for the summer by then.

I think it sucks that the poobahs at Augusta National did this to the LPGA, especially since the ANA has had that date for eternity and the club has greater flexibility.  

On the flip side, though, I would expect the amateur event to lose some luster in subsequent years.  There was a thrill at seeing the girls playing the iconic venue, but I don't anticipate the same buzz in future years, and perhaps Mike is right to wait it out.  Still, it's gotta be frustrating to be ignored by the Five Families.

Dreams Do Come True -  Just promise that nobody will tell Employee No. 2:

 Lump likes a beer now and again?  Never saw that one coming....

He was always the bride's favorite player, and I expect she'll want the full set.

The Office - This long piece doesn't really deliver on its premise, but nevertheless provides some color for life on Tour ranges:

How each guy goes about doing so can be revealing as well, for there are few formal policies for this office. The rules are unwritten ones, tenets everyone who steps foot on the range understands or quickly absorbs so that the office can run efficiently.

Casey, for example, qualifies as a talker. “He’ll spend an hour-and-a-half here and hit 10 minutes of golf balls,” says veteran caddie Mark Fulcher, who until recently worked for the past 10 years with Justin Rose. 

Or as the British say, faffing. Which is why Casey’s caddie, John McLaren, texts his boss a minute-by-minute itinerary that includes the precise time to arrive at the range, putting green and tee box, each day, also accounting for the time it takes to walk from one to the other. 

“Once I start, I won’t talk to anybody,” Casey says. 

He’s not the only one. 

“People know if I’m quiet to leave me alone,” says Jason Day. “If I’m talking, I’m more relaxed and don’t mind it. But if I’m trying to concentrate, I’ll go to a quieter spot. Or, sometimes there are some guys you just don’t get along with or don’t click with or don’t talk to.”

Worth a read, if the subject of how these guys go about their business is of interest.

Bally Bandon, Indeed - Anyone that has made the trip is familiar with the lure of the Bandon Sheep Ranch, a site just north of the resort.  here's why the excitement:

There never was a question that the land immediately north of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is stunning with a mile of shoreline, 100-foot cliffs above the Pacific Ocean and plenty of sand for a bouncy, rollicking American links. 

Previously the site of a somewhat secretive 13-hole, play-’em-as-you-like routing known as the Sheep Ranch, the property is being turned into the 18-hole Bally Bandon Sheep Ranch, set to open in the spring of 2020. Grassing has commenced at the design created by the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, which will feature nine greens on the cliffs’ edges. 

You read that right: nine greens on the cliffs. That’s three more than any of the 18-hole courses at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort’s foursome of 18-hole courses, all of which rank in the top 14 of Golfweek’s Best Modern list of U.S. courses

“The secret is out, it seems. It was kind of fun, the mystery and the mystique of it,” said Phil Friedmann, the owner of the property and its previous version of the Sheep Ranch that was built by Tom Doak. 

“We’re going to have some more design sophistication, some really cool holes. Before we had some really cool sites, and now the greens themselves will be improved upon.”

It's a more interesting section of the coastline than the original two tracks, leading to all sorts of interesting sites for tees and especially greens.  But how will I ever get to Keiser's Wisconsin resort, if he's making me plan a return trip to Oregon?

 Need more incentive?

“I told Bill when I last saw him that it is a collaboration between him and God,” Friedmann said. “God created the land, and Bill chose where we get to walk on it.” 

The highlight probably will be the double green situated atop Fivemile Point, which juts into the Pacific Ocean. Unlike the oceanfront at Bandon Dunes, where the existing holes are plotted alongside the cliffs but never really offer a view back at the cliffs or a shot over the steep rock walls, the Sheep Ranch will require balls fly over the cliffs from tees and to greens set on the promontory. 

“It’s certainly a dramatic addition,” Keiser said. “Fivemile Point is out in the ocean, and isn’t it exciting to see breakers rolling past you and internal to you? It has always beckoned.”

Should be great, but with five full tracks and The Preserve Par-3, one needs to stay for en eternity to get one's fill. 

I'll see you when I see you....

Weekend Wrap

It sure turned gorgeous around these parts over the weekend.... I hope you enjoyed it as much as your humble blogger.

Go Aussie! - I didn't watch much golf this weekend, but that which I did watch was of the distaff ilk:

Hannah Green needed a clutch sand save on the 72nd hole to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for her first LPGA victory and major, and she delivered. 

Green made a gritty par on the 18th hole at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn., to hold off defending champ S.H. Park and take home the $577,500 winner’s check. Green

closed with an even-par 72 on Sunday to finish nine under overall. Park was second at eight under. 

Green, a 22-year-old Australian, led by one to begin the day, but a handful of women jumped into contention during Sunday’s final round. One of them was Mel Reid, who shot 66 earlier in the day to take the clubhouse lead at six under, but Green gave herself a two-shot lead with two to play when she rolled in a birdie putt on the 16th hole to get to nine under. 

Her lead was still two when she stood in the 18th fairway of Hazeltine’s difficult par-4 18th finishing hole, but as she waited for the group ahead to clear she heard the gallery roar when Park made birdie to shoot 68 and cut the lead to one. One swing later, from 182 yards into the wind, Green missed the green and was short-sided in the bunker. But needing to get up and down to win, Green blasted out to about eight feet and made her par to win.

Notice the size of that winner's check?  For this newly-minted major that has The PGA of America and KPMG as sponsors....

Green is one of the kids supported by Karrie Webb, who was following her group during yesterday's play.  She went walkabout in the middle of her round, making three bogeys in four holes at one stretch.  But she thereafter righted the ship, as the announcers are wont to say, and got it to the clubhouse...  This might be the more enduring image of the winner:

Good on ya, mate.  Are we allowed to call women "mates"?  I'm not sure of the etiquette here, and I wouldn't want my Aussie readers to think I'm laying on the hate.

Golf Digest has listings of the winnings of this event and the PGA Tour event in Hartford, the latter being +/- double the former.  It's not exactly apples and apples, as the lady's event is a shiny, new major, whereas the men's is a second tier affair buried the week after the U.S. Open, so the disparity is obvious larger than that 2:1 ratio...

Which segues nicely into a discussion of the prospects for this tour, and why they're not playing for more money.  Commish Mike Whan was out and about this week, and might want to pair a nice Camembert with this whine:

At this point in his tenure as LPGA commissioner, Mike Whan genuinely thought he’d

have more than 10 events on network television. He has five. Two of the LPGA majors – the ANA Inspiration and Evian Championship – are broadcast exclusively on Golf Channel. 

“Does it frustrate me? Virtually every minute of every day,” said Whan, who took over in 2010, at a media roundtable at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. “Is it anybody’s fault other than mine? It isn’t. I’ve got to solve that.” 

Nearly every year at his state-of-the-tour address at the season-ender in Naples, Fla., Whan delivers the same message about network TV. It’s a massive key to increased purses and endorsement dollars for players. It’s what keeps him up at night.

 The self-flagellation is fine, but is network exposure really the issue?

Five events on network television isn’t enough to introduce casual fans to the LPGA and then bring them back to Golf Channel on a regular basis. 

Look at the abysmal ratings from the U.S. Women’s Open in Charleston, the worst final round on record for the championship at 728,000 viewers. It’s the only women’s professional event on the Fox, and therefore tough for even LPGA fans to find. 

Contrast that to the two women’s events on NBC this year: Augusta National Women’s Amateur (two-hour window in the afternoon), 1.194 million and the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, 822,000. 

For the women to gain traction on American network television, they’ve got to be on network more often.

This cause-and-effect thing can be tricky, for sure, but I'm thinking they have it bass ackwards....  Perhaps, and I'm just spit ballin' here, they need to demonstrate demand for the product to earn their network exposure?  Crazy talk for sure...

Mike goes on in this vein, and it's just not a great look:

Whan points to current No. 1 Jin Young Ko as a prime example. 

“If you gave me 39 weekends a year, I promise you I could make you love Jin Young Ko,” said Whan. “You’re going to get to know her story and swing. You see her five times a year, she’s just a name I can’t pronounce. That’s a shame. If you give me 39 weeks there’s a lot of guys on the PGA Tour I wouldn’t care about.… When they become people you know, you want to watch them.”

A couple of hyper-obvious rebuttals...  First, Mike has five weeks in which he's drawing below the audience that might tune in for cycling or curling, but he's talking about 39 weeks....  Hubris is the word that pops into my mind, though you might have gone with delusional as well...

Secondly, if you need 39 weeks, perhaps Jin Young isn't quite as captivating as she seems to you.  But it's the "If you gave me" that really rankles this reader, as nothing is given....  It has to be earned, and Mike seems to not understand that.

But here's where it gets interesting, at least to this observer.  The LPGA has just renewed their TV contract with Golf Channel, and their employing quite the unique strategy:

The LPGA’s 10-year contract with Golf Channel comes to an end this year, and Whan says the tour is in the final stages of completing a two-year extension with Golf Channel that would line up the LPGA’s contract with when the PGA Tour’s contract ends as well. 

This is significant because the PGA Tour is acting as an agent for the LPGA when it comes to negotiating the tour’s television contract this go-round. While it’s fair to wonder how much the PGA Tour is going to look out for the best interests of the LPGA compared to its other properties, it’s important to have a seat at the table with the game’s biggest force. 

(The opposite occurred when the LPGA was completely in the dark about Augusta National staging a women’s event the same week as one of its majors.)

Yowser!  This is like 3D chess, given the PGA Tour''s contract status.  They're not a secondary consideration, not a tertiary either, but a quandary, after the round bellies and Web.com KornFerry Tour.  Further complicating matters is the Tour's well-known desire to control their own network, which I'd have thought might offer the LPGA an opportunity as a hedge to Golf Channel.

As always, I think it more likely that the PGA will extract an ownership stake in Golf Channel instead, but that leaves the LPGA off the podium as well....  And it's not as though the golf audience is all that large to begin with.

Reavie Redux - I caught a very few minutes of Saturday's broadcast, at a point when unknown Zach Sucher had a five-shot lead.  I was wondering what all must have happened when that round ended with Chez six shots clear of the chase pack.

One think that happened was that Reavie lit it up to the tune of a 63, and held on yesterday for his first win since the Year of the Flood:

Why it matters: It’s the second PGA Tour victory of Reavie’s career, and first in over a decade. The 37-year-old’s first Tour victory came at the RBC Canadian Open in 2008. It’s been a good run for Reavie, who also tied for 3rd at the U.S. Open last week.

You mean why it matters to the Reavie family? 

That unknown might have had some issues on Saturday, but came back for a final-round 67 and a life-changing T2:

Zack Sucher was well aware that FedEx Cup points earn valuable PGA Tour status, but on Sunday night, after his final-round 67, he was focused on simpler math. 

“I’m not sure what all this does for points-wise, for next year; I don’t even know how that works,” he said. “I know that like two months ago we had credit card debt, so I know we don’t have that anymore.” 

Sucher tied for 2nd at the Travelers Championship on Sunday in Cromwell, Conn., in what was a life-changing victory. 

The 32-year-old held the 36-hole lead and was up by as many as five on Saturday, only to shoot 40 on the back nine and give it away. He entered Sunday six behind eventual-winner Chez Reavie, and while he never sniffed the lead he did exact some revenge on the back side: he shot a five-under 30, which included a chip in for par on 18.

Good on you, young man, now just don't get cocky.

Chez ain't exactly a bomber, prompting this from the Tour Confidential panel:

1. Chez Reavie picked up his second PGA Tour title Sunday, cruising to a four-shot win at the Travelers. Reavie averages “only” 286 yards off the tee, which puts him outside the top 150 on Tour in that category. Do short hitters have enough chances to win on Tour?

Luke Kerr-Dineen: Power has always been an important part of golf. People used to talk about Bobby Jones’ booming drives, and Slammin’ Sammy Snead. The modern era is no different in that regard, but unlike those days, the difference nowadays is that power all too often goes unchecked. Short, straight drivers are punished disproportionately more than longer, more wayward drivers. That serves to strip the game of its diversity by creating a prototype of how players must play, swing, and be. The more golf can figure out ways to level the playing field for equally good — but different — types of players, the game will be better off for it. 

Josh Sens: As Luke says, bombers have always had an advantage. But look at the Tour’s list of winners this year (Kisner, Kuchar more than once, Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari). There’s been plenty of opportunity for the non-bombers to win. Sure. The game can take some steps to level the playing field by choosing certain venues and setting them up in certain ways. But the Tour remains enough of a meritocracy for me — the golfer who golfs his ball the best still has plenty of chance to win, no matter how far he hits it. No need to start legislating beyond that out of some exaggerated sense of “fairness.” Should the NBA start lowering the hoop to make it easier for everyone to dunk?

JR isn't exactly a bunter....  Though this from Mikey Bams seems to veer a bit off subject:

Michael Bamberger: The shorter the course, the more chance there is for more players. Twenty-plus years ago, Nick Price said the best way to Tiger-proof the courses was to make them shorter. He had it correct and nothing has changed. The game is better in every possible way (for the pros) at 7,152, but fellas and chicks dig the long ball, so we all know how that goes. There will be fewer chances for shorter hitters in the future, but there will always be an Open championship. God Save the Queen. Where have you gone, Larry Mize? By the way, his swing was beautiful, back in the last days of the Rhythm Method.

There is much to bemoan about the modern game, but Larry's demize is way down that list....

Last week I expressed my lack of understanding as to why Brooks Koepka would make the grueling trip to Cownwall, and here's a guy in agreement with that:

“I'm just pretty – I don't think I'm even over the PGA,” he said. “And then to exert all your energy there last week, just fried. I mean, I've caught myself yawning on the golf course. I don't think I've ever yawned on a golf course before.” 

In fairness, Koepka has yawned before – in a way that was weirdly perfect – but it’s clear that last week’s run at a third consecutive U.S. Open title took a lot of him. 

Asked why he made the cross-country trip here after Pebble, Koepka said he wanted to honor his commitment and that he couldn’t have known in advance he would be this drained. Considering the reason, he’s happy to feel fatigued. 

“When you're planning your schedule, you're not thinking you're going to compete in all three majors and still be fried from it,” he said. “It's fine. I don't mind it.”

He's a good buddy of DJ, so we can safely assume he's not, you know, the sharpest knife in the drawer.  But the full schedule was available, and he didn't think that this third-tier event was missable?

Geoff had this caution flag for the lads as well:

It’ll be interesting to see what the combination of The Open followed by a WGC, a week off and then the playoffs yields in the way of energetic play from the game’s stars. In the hottest month of the year.

Geoff, it's not merely a WGC.... it's a WGC in Memphis in August!  If you don't need the money or OWGR points, why would you do that to yourself?

You'll Need A Bigger Blog -  Alternate Take:  Only 13?

13 (more) of the dumbest things in golf

Two clicks to get to his original thirteen, and both lists cover the usual suspects, such as this:

2. Iron covers 

Google “Golf Iron Covers” and 126,000 results pop up. C'mon guys. Forget the lunacy of trying to coddle instruments that regularly plow into the turf and strike a golf ball at full force (although we all have a difficult time doing that sometimes). But good god, man, think of the people playing behind you. It’s bad enough you take forever to put the driver headcover back on because you wrestle with it like you’re auditioning for the WWE. But when you start searching for your plastic or neoprene iron headcover after every shot, you’re just asking for one of those nasty on-course altercations over slow play. And we can't have your back on this one.

I have a friend who shall remain nameless who uses them... At an event a few years ago he noticed one missing, and insisted that we drive back into the group behind us to retrieve it....  Not a high point of my life in golf.

This one is curious though:

9. A major tournament risking running out of daylight 

If a regular PGA Tour event finishes on Monday, so be it. A major championship is a

different animal. Golf fans are far more invested in the majors, spend much more time watching or reading about them and as such, deserve a Sunday finish. Still, there are times the folks running these tournaments play Russian Roulette with the clock (2014 PGA at Valhalla, anyone?) by refusing to move up the start time when it is almost certain weather will be a factor. At this year’s Masters, Augusta National endeared itself to all by moving the tee times up and finishing without incident. Not only didn’t the world come to an end, it was one of the most talked-about events of the year. When it comes to the majors, we’ll watch whenever you have it on—except Monday morning.

OK, but weather does happen unexpectedly, so it's not exactly clear what's being suggested.

But that photo is Rory from Valhalla, in which he rushed to hit his tee shot on No. 18, and you can see how perilously close he came to finding the hazard penalty area.   Wasn't the far stupider act his rush to finish, in which he was apparently unwilling to come back Monday morning to finish off a major?

A Tease - The good news is that I figured out how to embed this tweet....  The bad?  It embedded without the video, which was sort of the whole point.... So, click here:

What would you hit into a 235 yard par 3 with a crosswind and complete carnage anywhere short or right? 😬😳

The 16th at @royalportrush is epic. Many a round dies here and it’s going to end a few @TheOpen dreams 🏆

(We played it 205 and I hit a juicy 5 iron & lipped out for 🐦) pic.twitter.com/nfvZ8aJp1t

— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) June 20, 2019

The subject is Calamity Corner, a brutally difficult Par 3 that will play as the 16th hole in the Open Championship.

Have I mentioned how over the moon I am at The Open coming back to Portrush?  It's such a great links, and a great get for Northern Ireland as well.

Here's a description of this hole from the club's website:

Calamity Corner, the 236 yard par 3 16th Hole is a must play for any follower of the game. Between the tee and the green is a yawning chasm, which must be cleared to stand any chance of making your three. It is hard to describe the feeling as you stand on this tee, looking out across the Valley links below, knowing it will take a fantastic shot to hit the small target across the void.

I have a great picture of playing from said yawning chasm, thought its location eludes me right now.  

This is a great hole on a great golf course, and we'll have much more to say as we approach the event.  We'll also acquaint you with Bobby Locke's Hollow, the bailout short-left into which its namesake played all four rounds of that 1951 Open.

See you tomorrow?

Your Friday Frisson

Lots to cover, so without further ado....

I Always Knew It Would End in Tears - Glad to have not seen more than Golf Channel highlights, but what a long, strange trip it's been:

Michelle Wie has had a rough year — at least as far as her competitive golf career is concerned. Back in October, Wie revealed that she had undergone hand surgery and would be out for the remainder of the season. When the 2019 LPGA season began in

February, Wie finished T-23 at the Honda LPGA Thailand, but had to withdraw during the first round of the following week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship due to lingering issues with her right hand. 

Wie intended to play the Kia Classic in late March, but also ended up withdrawing from that event. She then missed the cut at her next two events, the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and the LOTTE Championship in her native Hawaii, before announcing in April that she would be shutting things down again for an undisclosed amount of time to let her hand continue to heal. 

In May, Wie announced she would withdraw from the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open in Charleston, the season’s second major championship. Wie’s appearance at Hazeltine National for this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship was hotly anticipated, as it’s her first competitive start since April. In her pre-tournament press conference, Wie said she began the week “feeling hopeful”, but those good feelings quickly dissolved after her first round at Hazeltine National.

The oddest of careers for sure, in which she seemingly peaked at age 14.... 

“It’s just one of those situations where I’m not, you know, I’m not entirely sure how much more I have left in me,” said Wie, “so even on the bad days I’m just like trying to

take time to enjoy it. But it’s tough.” 

In a rare display of emotion, Wie broke down in front of a small group of reporters huddled under the awning of Hazeltine’s clubhouse. 

For anyone who ever wondered if Wie really loved this game, if she played for herself or for her parents or for endorsement dollars, one look into her eyes as the tears started to well up revealed a glimpse inside her heart. 

She wanted to be here.

Now is not the time to eulogize her career, but we can find solace in the fact that her personal life seems in a good place.

Higher Ground - Gearhead Mike Stachura has a deep-dive on CBD oil, the alleged cure for whatever ails you.  But first, a rebuttal of that header:

Before we go farther, a brief science lesson. First, CBD is not marijuana. Rather, it is one of many cannabinoids or compounds that can be extracted from the cannabis plants that include the closely related marijuana and hemp plants. CBD and THC are the two 

Obama did admit to a bit of tokeage in his youth.

compounds that get the most attention when it comes to cannabis research. THC is the psychoactive element that produces marijuana’s high. CBD is not psychoactive, and according to a World Health Organization report, unlike THC, CBD “is generally well tolerated, with a good safety profile. . . . [and] is not associated with abuse potential.” 

Unlike marijuana, which is not a legal substance in most states, hemp-derived CBD got what amounted to a federal endorsement with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. That legislation legalized the production of hemp, which previously had fallen under a 1937 law that essentially prohibited the production of all cannabis plants. (In recent years, 10 states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, and most others allow it with a prescription.)

Think it's only the former Prez using?  I don't want hear any denials, the left-handed club is the tell.  But, anyone curious about those big names suddenly chomping on chewing gum?

CBD companies already have secured endorsement contracts with PGA Tour players, and rumors swirled at the Masters that Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods were using CBD products, including tincture and chewing gum. Though video surfaced of Mickelson taking a swig from a dropper mid-round, neither have indicated they use CBD products, and representatives for both players did not respond to requests for comment in early June. 

Regardless, CBD is not merely a fringe product being whispered about in golf circles but nearly mainstream. Ben & Jerry’s has promised its customers that a CBD-infused ice-cream flavor is coming. In May, CBD company Medterra announced a deal with Worldwide Golf to sell its products in golf ’s second-largest retail chain. CBD products even are sold in the golf shop at Muirfield Village, and head pro Larry Dornisch says he has reordered the supply twice already this season.

But what does it do?  It's harder than you might expect to get that answered, as the lede indicates that it treats just about everything:

As it turns out, what he found might be the hottest product in golf this year. In fact, it might be the hottest product in any industry this year. Cannabidiol, or CBD, a compound extracted from cannabis plants, is finding its way into everything from droppers of ingestible oils and topical creams to pizza and milkshakes. Its claims of curative powers seem to run the gamut of diseases and maladies, from Alzheimer’s and cancer to first-tee jitters and golfer’s elbow.

Alzheimer's to first-tee jitters?  Thanks for narrowing it down, guys.... I used to get nervous on the first tee, but now I can't remember whether I do or not...

This seems more credible, if only because it's more focused:

“I’ll be careful in what we can talk about, but yes, I think golf and CBD are a natural fit,” he says, specifically referring to using a topical cream to loosen up sore and stiff muscles and joints. “With CBD having the potential to be a really strong anti-inflammatory, I think it really can work well with all ages as they either get ready for their next round or practice session or recover from the round they finished. Certainly golfers who are struggling with those issues should be strongly considering CBD.” 

There is a sense that CBD is seen as a critical asset for members of golf ’s aging population, possibly keeping them in the game longer. And if they stay in the game longer, they continue to spend money on their games. 

“CBD might not grow the game, but is it possible it could help the game from shrink ing and losing players?” says Fryia, the retailer. “I don’t know, but it’s something worth talking about. A guy who just gets fed up with pain or frustration—who knows what this might do for him?”

So, it cures shrinkage?  They'll makes billions if they can substantiate that claim.

Scenes From Hartford -  These guys are good except, you know, when they're not....  Submitted for your approval, an example of the latter:

Jason Kokrak has been among the steadiest players on the PGA Tour this season. He has 

Some days it's simply not worth the effort of reading your putts. 

made 22 consecutive cuts, dating all the way back to the 2018 British Open. But golf is a cruel game, and consistency be damned, Kokrak got off to a bumpy start on Thursday at the Travelers Championship. 

The 34-year-old Tour veteran started on No. 10 at TPC River Highlands and hit the fairway and the green, leaving himself a 30-footer for birdie. But he hit that one about 36 feet — and missed the comebacker, resulting in an opening bogey. 

No problem, right? Plenty of golf left. Unfortunately, this turned into somewhat of a theme. At No. 11, Kokrak hit a fantastic tee shot, leaving himself a 3-footer. But he missed that, and then missed the 2-foot comebacker. At No. 12, his approach settled 21 feet away, but he blew his putt 4 feet past and missed that one, too. The fun continued at the par-5 13th, where he hit the green in two shots before three-putting again, this time for par. Four three-putts in a row. Brutal.

We enjoy such stories because we know how brutal this game is.... Amusingly, it didn't get any better when he stopped with the 3-jacks:

Kokrak finally missed the green with his approach shot at the par-4 14th, but hit a neat chip to 3 feet. That was a troubling distance early on, and Kokrak missed that one, too, leading to a fifth consecutive bogey. Through five holes, Kokrak had lost an unthinkable 5.68 strokes to the field just with his putter.

I'm sure Jason will pen a thank you note to Mark Broadie for that last killer stat.

Alex Myers has an amusing take on Matthew Wolff's coming-out party:

OK, so I wasn't crazy. And there were other witnesses specifically there to see one of the most highly anticipated pro debuts since Tiger Woods. But I'm guessing there was a bit more of a buzz at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open. Hello, World Connecticut!

Like Woods 23 years ago, Wolff is turning pro off a spectacular sophomore season in college. The Oklahoma State Cowboy won six times, including the individual NCAA title. By five shots. His decision to turn pro was accompanied by a hype video created by his equipment sponsor, TaylorMade. And his unorthodox swing already has kids copying it.

But there wasn't much sizzle to his start on a gloomy Thursday at TPC River Highlands. The grandstands—more like stands—that surround the first tee and seat 200 people tops were about half full. To be sure, serious golf fans were aware of the situation, including the one who shouted, "GANKAS!" when Wolff's notorious swing coach, George Gankas, showed up to give him a final few words and a pound. Moments later, Gankas left to make an appearance on Golf Channel. Was anyone going to follow this poor kid around?

The designation of the "Matthew Wolff Era" seems a tad premature, no?  Of course he's got form Rory Luggage-Toter J.P. Fitzgerald on the bag, so let's keep a close watch on his ditance control with the wedges.

But funniest bit of the day is no contest, as Jordan Spieth goes full Kevin Na, and comedy ensues....Jordan, listen closely because I'm only going to say this once.  You never go Full Kevin Na!

Alan in Full - Shipnuck's weekly mailbag feature is always there when I need anaerobic blogging, so let's have at it, first with some bits on our newest major champion:

Woodland’s 3-wood was one of the most clutch shots in a major. Where does it rank for you? -@SHistorians 

That was tremendous – so many things could have gone wrong on that approach to the dastardly 14th green, and to have the stones to pull off that shot while nursing a one-stroke lead tells you more or less everything you need to know about G-Dub. (Sorry. Forgive me. I promise to never, ever even think that again, let alone type it.) 

But Woodland’s mighty clout has to rank a notch below the all-time classic 72nd hole shots, because if he screws up the 3-wood he could still save par, and even if he takes bogey he still has a piece of the lead and there are still four pretty scorable holes ahead, including a par-5. So I’m putting it right below the do-or-die final hole dramatics that include Ben Hogan’s 1-iron, Jack Fleck’s 7-iron, Jerry Pate’s 5-iron, Shaun Micheel’s 7-iron, Sandy Lyle’s 7-iron, Corey Pavin’s 4-wood, Arnold Palmer’s 6-iron and sundry others.

Yeah, plus there was quite a bit of luck involved...  This hole, like the fifteenth at Augusta, seems now to be pushing the players towards the aggressive play, but largely because that wedge third shot is so damn awkward.  Which stands the usual risk-reward trade-off non-operative.

Has there ever been a nicer and more likable guy on the PGA Tour than Gary Woodland? I can’t think of a bad thing about the guy. He seems to be a genuine, decent, good human being. -@steffi_latina25 

Yes, this victory was popular in the locker room, caddie yard and press tent because Woodland really is as nice and genuine as he seems. Yet he’s hardly boring – his athletic background is compelling, the family heartbreak from two years ago is wrenching, and his golf borders on the spectacular, as we saw down the stretch at Pebble.

I don't hang in the locker room or caddie yard, but it seems a very popular win.

What are your thoughts on seeing a rivalry of Brooks, Gary Woodland and who’s the third?? -@ramon_ware 

Yes, please. How about Dustin? Another big, strong baller with an excess of jock swagger. Or, dare we say it, Rory? I’d love to see Spieth get back to his winning ways, because he provides such a nice contrast in game and demeanor. We just need someone/anyone to step up and challenge Brooks’ hegemony. I’ll be delighted if it’s Woodland.

DJ seems in remission during his workout buddy's ascension, no?  Discuss among yourselves....

And on all things Pebble, where he worked in the cart barn as a young punk:

What’s your take on the new 13th and 14th greens? I have to say, I was a little sad to see them look so toothless. -@paulkoehorst 

The old slopes had probably become too severe if Pebble was going to be a firm, fast, fiery test. Alas, with this kinder, gentler USGA setup I agree both greens lost their bite and changed the complexion of the holes. Hopefully in 2027 the course will be a racetrack and 13 and 14 will demand more precise and creative shotmaking.

I don't remember the 13th green all that well, but the rebuild of No. 14 surprised me in that they didn't seem to want to reclaim those front right pin locations.  Curious, given how much play the course gets.

If you could play 18 total holes at pebble beach, how are you allocating them (i.e., you could theoretically play #7 18 times)? -@Miller_bud 

I wouldn’t change much because I love the course how it is. But I find that tee shot on 3 to be vexing, 12 doesn’t make my heart pound, and we can do a lot better than 15, so I’ll skip those three holes and go around twice on 6, 7 and 8.

The first four holes are quite forgettable, as are Nos. 11, 13, 15 and 16.  I agree that No.12 is is hard but not enjoyable in the slightest, and I can go either way on two of the other one-shotters.  But funs stuff for sure...

I think he gets this one mostly right:

How would you rank the U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach in order of best to worst? -@AirPallotti 

’82, ’72, ’00, ’19, ’92, ’10.

Certainly those last two were the weakest, 2010 especially.  I'd have the first two in reverse order, not that I'm bitter or anything....

What do you imagine the U.S. Open in 2027 will look like at Pebble Beach? Any major course changes? Will USGA have addressed the technology/distance explosions by then? Will par have to be 68 or 69? -@rstimsonbyu 

Oh gawd, too soon! I’d like to savor this one a little longer before working myself into a lather about ’27.

The bad news is that they'll once again follow Shinny in the rota.... What could possibly go wrong there?  

On players new and old alike:

Who wins the most majors? Schauffele, Cantlay, Hovland, Wise or DeChambeau? -@ScottMichaux 

Wolff.

A category error for sure, as some of those guys have been out there for a few years already.

Is Rickie the consensus “best player who hasn’t won a major?” Seems like he may have some new/younger guys to contend with for that title these days. -@djlettieri 

A couple of years ago there was a pretty strong feeling that it was either Fowler or Kuchar. But this a fickle, ephemeral title, and Rickie hasn’t made any noise in the last half-dozen majors. A key part of being the BPNTHWAM is a sense that you’re on the verge of breaking through. A decade into his career, can we say that about Fowler? You also can’t be too callow or too old. Kuch turns 41 this week – has his time passed? 

I think we could make a strong case for Bryson: he has already matched Rickie’s career win total and is more than halfway to Kuchar’s, at the age of 25. But to be the BPNTHWAM you have to have had your heart broken at a major or two, and DeChambeau has yet to contend in any of them. Tommy Fleetwood has been there in the crunch but, notwithstanding his great play at the Ryder Cup, he hasn’t won a tournament in a year and a half. Jon Rahm needs a little more body of work. A strong stealth candidate is Xander Schauffele, who always seems to show up in the biggest events. But he also still might be a little too young. 

All of this is to say, there is no consensus candidate. Where is Phil or Monty when you really need them?

This is an ugly meme for our Rickie, because the only case to make in refuting the dreaded designation is that, yanno, he's not all the good.  

A couple for you on the USGA as well:

Will we look back at 2019 as the year the USGA abandoned par as the yardstick for its flagship shindig? And was that a conscious decision, to do it at Pebble where there is so much love for the place (course/historic winners/views/etc) that they could get away with it? -@tallboy199 

The players won. That’s the short explanation for what we saw at Pebble. Course setups don’t happen in a vacuum. They’re done by human beings, who have emotions and agendas and mundane concerns such as staying employed. 

All the bellyaching by the players put the USGA in such a defensive crouch that the setup folks were forced to err on the side of caution. So when the weather turned hot the blue coats drenched Pebble Beach with water – in the run-up to the tournament, that meant more than 400,000 gallons a day, when Pebble ordinarily gets only 200-250K. When the cool, foggy weather arrived – which is typical for June and had been in the forecast a week+ out – there was no way to put the fire back in the course, even if the USGA had been so inclined. 

So, yes, this was a choice that was made, to allow for lower scoring and happier players, and to avoid any headline-making screwups. It made perfect sense given the controversies of recent years. And seaside courses are always tricky. If the USGA baked out the course and then a big wind came in the howling could have been deafening. Winged Foot next year will be the big test. It’s inland and the weather is predictable (warm, muggy). The positive player reaction from this year takes some pressure off the USGA. If that’s also a benign setup we’ll know something fundamental has changed.

I really hate that formulation about protecting par, and prefer to speak of their objective as to provide the sternest test in golf.  The former connotes arbitrariness, and is usually wielded by those with an ax to grind.

But they got dealt a tough hand in terms of weather, and Alan is spot on about this being a very human undertaking.  But I'd also note that, as much as I love challenging the guys with firm and fast conditions, that's a tricky thing at this venue.  Conditions change dramatically on the coast, see, Fathers Day 1992, and the greens are so small that they can easily veer into the unplayable (think 2010).  

Why is the USGA so worried about pissing already spoiled players off? What are they going to do, not play the U.S. Open? -@NaadderBajwa 

The idea that some of the top stars considered boycotting the national championship is hilarious. Can you imagine how that would have played in the larger sports world? Boycotting because they didn’t like a few pin positions at Shinnecock? Or bumpy greens at Chambers Bay? They would have gotten killlllled as being entitled prima donnas. It would have been the biggest black eye for the game since…various entitled prima donnas perpetrated a Zika hoax and boycotted the Olympics.

That's true as far as Alan takes it....  The problem is that the USGA so consistently beclowned itself (Shinny 2X, Oakmont, shall I go on?), that they're forfeited the moral high ground.  

Whining players > non-whining players during the U.S. Open? -@Nolanddad 

Oh, hell yes. Going back decades, the soundtrack to every U.S. Open was the plaintive wailing of the players. That’s how we knew it was our national championship. “Fair” is often codeword for too easy, so I knew we were in trouble when the players universally employed that word to praise the Pebble setup. I pray that future Opens will feature the appropriate amount of kvetching.

That's why Tom Daok refers to "fair" as the F-word....

I'll leave you nice folks here and wish you an enjoyable weekend.