They don't get much crazier than this week. From the dog days of summer on Wednesday, to tomorrow's pre-scheduled frost delay....We'll cover a few odds and ends, and then set you on your way.
Ryder Cup Musings - For as long as I've been blogging, Shack has been demeaning Ryder and Prex Cup Assistant Captains as cart drivers, detailing how those that fetch snacks and rain gear also serve. You at home can also play, by deciding who is hardest hit by this devastating news:
The vice captains for next year’s Ryder Cup are set to be the fittest in the event’s history due to the fact they’ll be walking at Whistling Straits and not darting around the coursein golf carts. Because of the undulating terrain of the spectacular Pete Dye-designed layout on the banks of Lake Michigan, only the two captains, Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington, will be permitted to use four wheels to float between matches as opposed to two legs.
It’s not an ideal situation due to the important roles of the vice-captains, but buggies are not allowed at all during normal play and, in some respects, it will feel refreshing being at a big golf event for once next September and not actually get the impression you could be on the M8 due to the volume of carts buzzing about the place.
Important roles? Well, when stomachs start growling, someone's gotta get the PB&J's....
Now just yesterday I was reliably informed that this is an entirely natural golf course, so sacrifices will have to be made. But what to make of this:
It took $2 million dollars and a Herculean effort – the site was pancake-flat farmland before becoming Camp Haven, a site used by the US Army as an anti-aircraft training facility in the 1950s – to build the course on a two-mile stretch alongside the shoreline, with 7,000 truckloads of sand being used to create a layout that is visually spectacular and a test for big boys with more than 500 bunkers and 14 water hazards.
I'm guessing that Herb Kohler spent way more than $2 million on fill alone...
Seguing effortlessly to Alan Shipnuck's mailbag feature, we've got a few Ryder-themed Q&A's to cover:
Merge Ryder/Presidents Cup into a yearly Ryder Cup. Losing team sits out. Winning team keeps playing. Euros win 2018. They play International team in ’19. USA gets winner in ’20. Who says no to that?? -@cfenmagic
I do. The Ryder Cup is golf’s Super Bowl—why on earth would you want to mess with it?
Also saying "No" is the PGA of America, which renders the idea stillborn.
But the relevant thought experiment is what's the effect on the RC were the U.S. to begin losing Prez Cups?
And this one:
Do you think it would be possible for Steve Stricker to gently tell Bubba Watson to “get lost” if he somehow qualifies for the Ryder Cup? His record is 4-10, and even in his wins, he has been carried by his partners (see Jeff Overton). -@war_eagle1988
J. Overton! Man, haven’t thought about the erstwhile Boom Baby in ages. Yeah, Seve pulled this stunt with Miguel Angel Martin back in ’97, but to say the least, Stricker does not have Ballesteros’ ruthlessness. And Bubba loves the ol’ red, white and blue so much he’d love one last Ryder Cup, especially since he’ll be almost 42 by the time we get to Whistling Straits. The good news for Cap. Stricker is that Bubba hasn’t won for a year and a half and missed the cut at six of the last eight majors, so it seems like a longshot for him to make the team.
Why the hate, war eagle?
It's Always In The Last Place You Look - Time to overreact, kids:
Phil Mickelson finds form with 65 Thursday at Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
Looks like Phil Mickelson took care of that fraction.
That’s the minuscule distance Mickelson said his game was from being exactly where he wanted it to be in last week’s Safeway Open, where he missed the cut in his season opener. He used the extra two days of practice afforded him because of the missed cut and got his game, and spirits, at an optimal level.
The proof was in the signature he put to a scorecard that read 6-under-par 65 in Thursday’s first round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin. With his lowest score since he shot 65 in the WGC-Mexico Championship last February, Mickelson vaulted up the leaderboard and his confidence came along for the ride as he looks to end the worst slump of his career.
“I drove it well. Hit a lot of fairways. I did that yesterday in the pro-am, too. I did it at home,” Mickelson said. “I had a great few days at home practicing. Right now, my iron play is back. It was a very weak spot of my game this past year. It’s back to where it has been.”
Can we agree that we'll need to see him do it for more than 18 holes on a dog patch?
The Forecaddie has this story up of payback for a practical joke gone wrong.... Your call whether to click through, but I recommend it mostly for Phil lovers.
Bio-Feedback - Bio Kim has been graciously falling on his sword since he let loose the birds of war, trying to explain here how it went down:
“It is all my fault,” Kim continued. “I think I deserve to be punished. I will accept any penalty.”Kim ended up winning the KPGA tournament, and apologized to the gallery after holing the winning putt on the 18th green.
“I’m sorry,” he told fans. “I will be a more mature player.”
In Kim’s formal apology to the Korean media (translated for GOLF.com), Kim was accepting of his punishment, saying:
“I want to say again that I am sorry to the people at the gallery who were hurt, as well as my fellow players, my sponsors, and the committee, and all the people who supported me. I will totally follow the will of the association and I want to say I’m sorry. Because it was my careless decision and wrong action, I will leave all the decision to the association. I will accept the punishment and going forward, I will carry the regret to my fellow players forever and will live my life as a better person before being a better player.”
No appeal will be made, but we can only hope the Korean PGA will scale it back at a later date. You might wonder about that shutter noise, but here's something I remember from the Prez Cup in Korea:
But there’s one curious law lurking in the background of this story, a law that indirectly led to the entire controversy. Golf Channel reported that PGA Tour players were sent a memo Wednesday reminding them that, “it is illegal in South Korea and Japan for any mobile phone manufacturer to sell a phone that allows the user to silence the faux shutter sound on their mobile phone camera.” In short, every photo must make noise.The law exists for privacy reasons, preventing people from snapping illicit photos in silence. It dates back to the release of the Kyocera VP-210, one of the first cell phones to come with a proper camera. Authorities learned that after the phone came out, voyeuristic photos in crowded places were on the rise.
Kevin Na has been something of a mentor to Kim, and was outspoken in opposition to the severity of the suspension. But Na's caddie Kenny Harms had the better bit:
Heh!
Better yet, let's get him some sponsors' exemptions and then maybe Ernie will give him a Captain's Pick.... Can't you see it now? Last singles match out at Royal Melbourne, with the Cup hanging in the balance, Playing Captain Tiger Woods v. Bio Kim.
Alan is on board as well:
Should other Tours get involved in the outrageous 3-year suspension of Bio Kim by the Korean PGA? -@TheGolfDivotee
There’s not much the other Tours can do, other than welcome Kim, who is a good player and now a subject of intense fascination. There’s nothing to prevent tournaments on the Euro or Asian or even PGA Tour from extending invitations to Kim. In a weird way this may be the best thing that’s ever happened to his career.
Alan's Leftovers - A few more bits from the ever so clever Shippy, and then I'll let you get on with your day.
Before Wentworth, Tony Finau suggested there should be another major to plug the long gap between the Open Championship and Masters. Why not a fifth major, maybe in Australia or the Far East? I could see that working. I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts, Alan. -@Nick_Metcalfe
I don’t want to hear about moldy Western Opens or long-ago British Amateurs. There are four majors, just like there are four Spice Girls. Some things are fine the way they are. No offense to Memphis, but clearly the WGCs should be more worldly. Rotating that tournament through Australia, South Africa and South America would be an awesome way to add sizzle to the fall or winter while avoiding the scheduling redundancy ahead of the FedEx Cup. We don’t need a faux-major to build on Finau’s fine suggestion.
Well, Alan is a young punk, so it's on us for expecting him to know anything about golf before the Pro-V1 and hybrids.... The point about moldy Westerns is not to add a fifth major, it's that at certain times in the evolution of our game that event was easily one of the four biggest on the calendar.
Ironically, the best path for the off-season is smaller events, ones whose fields are filled with those playing for their professional futures. Not money grabs for elite fields.... Just sayin'.
Alan's been on a syntactical jihad recently, as this query gets at:
“This will be the greatest moment in my golfing career.” I assume you are giving Cam Champ a pass for his phrasing in his emotional post-round interview? -@Golfingbrock
What a moment that was! Even fall golf can have resonance when there are likable young players and deeply personal triumphs. My major beef is ‘golf/golfing’ as a verb. It is far less offensive as an adjective.
It’s funny Alan, I had just been thinking about Champ – is this kid the real deal or just a kid who gets it done once in a while on easy golf courses? -@swingtheclubken
We need a slightly larger sample size to render a definitive verdict, but two wins in the span of 11 months, with a wrist injury in between, is no joke. Most impressive about this latest victory was that Champ led the field in scrambling. (Driving distance is a given.) If he is going to be that efficient on and around the greens…look out!
Remember Tiger's recent comments about the current state of the game. No one is going for consistency anymore, it's all about 3-4 good weeks. Sometimes only one is enough...
What happens to the non-conforming drivers? Could they be easily found in a dumpster at the tournament venue? Asking for a friend. -@seank13
Yeah, I’ve been a little confused about people saying these non-conforming drivers will hurt the reputation of the players and the equipment companies. I don’t think either notion is true. This is not a corked-bat situation; the players don’t build the drivers and don’t have a way of verifying the COR on their own. If a driver fractionally crosses the line I don’t think that impugns the player. And what a marketing tool for the equipment companies! Our drivers are so hot they are on the very threshold of illegality. Sign me up.
Exactly, though he misses the kicker, to wit, that simultaneously they're telling us that there's no benefit to these hot and/or illegal clubs.
For once a serious question. The Dunhill is not full of celebs. It is full of blue bloods and dot com billionaires. Would it not help if they opened up a few spots to the club golfer? Make it a bit more open to all? -@DungsauPing
This is the fundamental problem with all big-time pro-ams: none of us care about the rich guys who buy their way in. A few sports stars/Hollywood types are fine, because it gives us someone to root against, but the nameless, faceless CEOs are just clutter. I’ve been advocating for decades that the Crosby Clambake go down to Pacific Grove muni and pluck a couple dozen plumbers, roofers, school teachers, etc. and put them in the field. They would be charming and easy to cheer for and give the tournament an emotional center. Same goes for the Dunhill Links.
Fair enough, but the best part might be that Twitter handle...
With U.S. Open courses being too hard and now European courses being too soft, are professional golfers more demanding than Goldilocks? -@Flip_Hamburglar
Yes, it’s increasingly hard to find the right setup, because the modern game has so overwhelmed its ancient playing fields. You need exactly the right combination of wind and firm greens, which is hard to summon in an outdoor game that is often played near the sea. I’ve kinda resolved to stop kvetching about course setup because, honestly, it’s a never-ending problem with no real solution. I hope Rory follows suit.
It's a little hard to simply dismiss the issue of our age....
With all the heated talk about drivers not passing the test, do you think any players would be interested in an 18 hole tournament with persimmon drivers and old-school clubs? Have to wear old school threads, too. JT and Jordan vs Rory and Rahm would be fun to watch. -@forearmshivers
The thought of Rahm in plus-fours just sent a shiver down my spine. Of course, the players’ corporate masters wouldn’t dig it, and the guys would probably fear being exposed by less forgiving gear. In other words, we gotta make it happen.
I don't see Federer and Nadal out there with Bill Tilden's equipment.... But you do see it from a guy like Sandy Lyle, which I just love.
What would it take for rules of golf to change club limit from 14 to 10? -@TheGhostOfHogan
Just imagination and political will. It’s clear we have to make the game more challenging for Tour players and this is an interesting concept that would bring more shotmaking and creativity into the game. It dovetails with ongoing whisper campaigns to make driver heads smaller for the pros and even ban hybrids. We’re long past the tipping point. To make the game harder for Tour pros, and thus more fun for us to watch, is going to require some bold changes.
Crazy talk, but I do love it.... Maybe Tiger and Phil can be talked into it for The Match - Part VIII.
More excited for new Sheep Ranch or Payne’s Valley to open next year? -@GolfLover67
Oh, Sheep Ranch for sure. Having recently toured the site with co-designer Bill Coore I can say with confidence it’s going to be mind-blowing. Tiger’s design at Payne’s Valley looks cool but not much different than what already exists at Top of the Rock.
Agreed, with no disrespect to Tiger, who's proving to be a more interesting student of design than I expected. But the Sheep Ranch is just a special property, even by the standards of that which preceded it at Bandon.
Why is it legal for Justin Rose (or others) to tuck their sleeve under their armpit on putts? If I used my glove or my hat or anything to “stay connected” it would be illegal. But Rose does it on putt and it’s fine. Just a small thing that bothers that no one asks. -@fancyfeet4
Gawd, I love that you’re stewing about this. I mean, Rose has to wear a shirt. I think this is more of a nervous tic than a swing aid. Does it remind him to do certain things during his swing? I ‘spose. But he’s not striking the ball with his shirt sleeve.
Have a great weekend.
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