The biggest question in the golf world this morning? Was yesterday the last golf of the season for your humble correspondent? I certainly hope not, but it's hard to find any reason for optimism in the long-range forecast.
A Senior Moment - I caught the finish, flipping back and forth between it and the Packer's blizzard bowl:
Scott McCarron won the season-long Charles Schwab Cup points race and its $1 million prize on Sunday while holding a glass of wine and watching on a clubhouse television.More precisely, Jeff Maggert won it for him.
“Are you kidding me?” McCarron said when he saw Maggert hole out his second shot from the fairway on the third playoff hole to defeat Retief Goosen and win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the PGA Tour Champions season finale.
Had Goosen won the tournament, he also would have won the Schwab Cup points race. He would have been looking at a four-footer for birdie had Maggert not delivered a hole-out eagle from 123 yards on the 17th hole at Phoenix Country Club.
Golf doesn't feature too many walk-offs, so this is somewhat notable. That last bit about Retief having a look at birdie is true, but left unsaid is that he had a far-shorter putt to win on the first playoff hole, and pulled it rather badly. And that miss was after a similarly suspect effort by Maggert, so absent a hole-out, these guys might still be out there.
As for Maggert, this presumably becomes the defining moment of his career.... He seems the very model of a modern Tour professional (anyone with me on the G&S reference?), a guy that made a good living for many years, but never won much of anything. His prior defining moment? Pretty much has to be this from 2003, no?
Roy McAvoy, Call Your Office - The Euro Trash were in Turkey this week, and the climax of the event was...well, electric:
ANTALYA, Turkey — For the first time on the European Tour since the 2003 Alfred Dunhill Championship, there were six starters in a sudden-death—and ultimately floodlit—playoff for the Turkish Airlines Open title and the $2 million first-place check.
Erik Van Rooyen, Kurt Kitayama, Tyrrell Hatton, Matthias Schwab, Victor Perez and Benjamin Hebert all shot 20-under-par 268s for 72 holes over the largely defenseless (little or no wind, soft greens) 7,133-yard Montgomerie Maxx Royal course. Thankfully, given the looming sunset, it took only one trip up the 558-yard par-5 18th to cut the playoff field in half. Van Rooyen, Perez and Hebert all bowed out after failing to make the required birdies.
After playing the 18th a second time in extra holes, there still remained three. Hatton failed to follow up his unlikely chip-in on the first playoff hole and settled for par. Schwab’s clumsy pitch from behind the putting surface meant he did likewise. And Kitayama missed from six feet for what would have been his third victory in his first season on the European Tour, an unprecedented feat.
There was quite a bit of money at stake, for reasons explained here. But the event will be remembered far more for the Dalyesque performance of Eddie Pepperill:
Eddie Pepperell pulled off something straight out of golf Hollywood. Reminiscent of one of the final scenes of Tin Cup, Pepperell played until he no longer had any more golfballs, disqualifying himself during the third round of the Turkish Airlines Open Saturday.According to Bob Harig of ESPN, Pepperell hit as many as five balls into the water on the par-5 4th hole at Montgomerie Maxx Royal Golf Course. Martin Kaymer and George Coetzee were his playing partners, and were genuinely unsure how many he hit.
“He was quick, so it was hard to keep track,” Kaymer told reporters on site. “He did not ask if he could borrow one from me or George. It did not look like he wanted to play. He did not putt with his putter on the third hole; he putted with a wedge. So there was a lot happening.”
But where is Abraham Zapruder when we need him, as no video of the incident has yet surfaced.
Prez Cup Stuff - Geoff has a typically unique take on Tiger's Captain's Picks:
Shackelford: Captain Tiger makes things harder on himself for fun
OK, Geoff, make your case:
Increase the challenge of balancing captaining duties with playing, and Woods gets tocheck another box off that few others have. He also gets to experience the duel fun of strategizing with pairings and playing match play on one of the world’s great stages. Suddenly that 19-hour journey from the Bahamas becomes more intriguing to someone who has always thrived off of achieving unimaginable things.
So why complicate the job by bringing Reed? A player who one year ago griped about the breakup of his partnership with Jordan Spieth, questioned the bro-friendly task force world’s back channel communications and did so after playing some career-worst golf at Le Golf National? It’s not like Reed’s season will remind anyone of Byron Nelson in 1945 with one win and five top-10s in 25 starts?
For one thing, Woods likes Reed and is drawn to players he sees as fearless with traces of iconoclastic tendencies. Woods and Reed play practice rounds often and as with Bryson DeChambeau, something about the way Reed ticks intrigues Tiger.
He does seem to like Patrick, for reasons that escape most others. But I don't think the premise is sufficiently strong to cover both picking Reed and himself, which are entirely different issues. But Geoff makes a point many of us have considered:
With world No. 1 Brooks Koepka potentially missing the Cup while rehabbing his left knee, Fowler seems likely to be his replacement. Fowler finished a spot ahead of Reed on the Presidents Cup points list and his easygoing nature suggests he might have been open to being left off the initial roster to give Reed a welcome-back confidence boost.
Perhaps written before this awkward header:
Rickie Fowler gets bacterial infection on honeymoon
And Allison seemed like such a nice girl....
I'm tempted to cite the adage about lying with dogs, but that would be mean-spirited.... And even is she's the source, it wasn't so long ago that we were worried about Rickie ever having a date:
WAGless in Minnesota... and now our little boy is happily married. But, having taken time off for his wedding and honeymoon, this comes at an awkward time if Tiger is serious about picking guys that have shown form:
In a text message to Golfweek, Fowler said at the tail end of his honeymoon – he got married the first week of October – he came down with Campylobacter jejuni, which is among the most common bacterial infections and leads to cramps, fever, pain and diarrhea.
Fowler said he started feeling the effects of the intestinal bacterial infection Oct. 26 and didn’t started getting back to normal until Nov. 7.
“It was not a fun stretch,” Fowler wrote. He added he is taking medicine to combat the last stages of the infection and just didn’t have enough time to properly prepare for the Mayakoba Golf Classic, where he’s finished second and in a tie for 16th the past two years.
Sounds like that honey must have been ever so romantic....And just a reminder that DJ's participation is also up in the air, so Tiger might have as many as two additional picks.
Shall we see what those Tour Confidential panelists have for us on this subject. It's a shocker that they want to talk about.... yeah, Tiger. Didn't see that one coming:
1. The picks are in. Tiger Woods and Ernie Els completed their Presidents Cup teams last week with four captain’s picks each. For the U.S. squad, Woods pickedGary Woodland, Tony Finau, Patrick Reed and, well, himself. First things first, with whom should Capt. Woods pair himself, and is there anyone he would be wise to avoid partnering with?
Shouldn't the first question be about how much and in which format Tiger should play? I actually think he should play in foursomes, and should be paired with guys that hit a lot of fairways, since he's still one of the best iron players on Tour. Also good if the Par-3's don't split 2-2 between odd and even.
Sean Zak: With, in theory, an easier opponent, Woods’ decisions on pairings won’t be quite so scrutinized as in the Ryder Cup. But they’re still important. I’d like to see him play with Justin Thomas. Feels like an obvious pick, but with Spieth off the team, there’s no one on the squad that Thomas has paired really well with. A Tiger-Thomas duo could really crush some souls. I’d avoid playing with Matt Kuchar. Even though they had some good juju at past Cups, that was a long time ago and Kuchar hasn’t played well this fall.
We could kick sand in Jordan's face by pairing Patrick and Justin....
Josh Sens: I don’t think there’s anyone to avoid, but I do think he should pair himself with Reed. You picked him, captain; you take him. Plus, it’s an opportunity to make some amends for their poor Ryder Cup team effort.
Michael Bamberger: I think the captain is all in, now: Pat-n-Tiger, forever. That’s probably the very partner Tiger should avoid, but you only live once.
Fine, but not in foursomes, because Patrick doesn't hot many fairways.
Josh Berhow: I’d put him with Patrick or otherwise Bryson — two big personalities who might be hard to pair with. Not sure who I would say he should avoid since Phil didn’t make this team.
Alan Shipnuck: It cuts both ways for Tiger. He’d surely love to play with the strongest possible partners so he can win his matches — that means Thomas or DJ or Koepka if he answers the bell. But as captain he has to deal with the problem children, which means Reed and DeChambeau. I think it’ll be the latter since I get the feeling Tiger sees himself as a captain first.
Josh, you don't think Tiger and Phil would make an unbeatable team? I can't remember, has it ever been tried?
What else?
2. Of the guys who didn’t make the team, Woods said “the toughest call to make” was to Rickie Fowler. But Kevin Kisner, Jordan Spieth and several others all had their own convincing cases to make for themselves. Which player is most entitled to feel snubbed?
Snubbed? That's easy, nobody. But what is this compelling case for Jordan of which you speak?
Zak: Kisner. Fowler isn’t entitled to anything after he didn’t play this fall. Go ahead, get married! That’s great. Just don’t expect courtesy invites. I don’t think Fowler is losing sleep over it. If he is, you know what they say: play better.Sens: What Sean said. Kisner calls to mind a contemporary Corey Pavin. A match-play pitbull. Latches onto your ankle and never lets go.
Berhow: If we are penalizing people for skipping a fall season that we ourselves have trouble getting excited about then what are we doing here? Rickie was the ultimate snub. I don’t know about you guys, but getting married is a pretty good excuse to take a couple of months off from a season that never stops. He had been solid — not spectacular — but he deserved a pick.
As for the former Golden Child:
Bamberger: I wonder if there was a deal in place, with Rickie telling Tiger that this was a good time for him to take a pass. It’s sounds like a joke, but it’s not: it’s not easy being a new wife at one of these events, when your husband is getting all the attention. I imagine Spieth thought he had made a good case for himself, loves Tiger, loves being on a team, could use a boost. It wasn’t a snub, but it had to be hard for him.
Shipnuck: Hard to believe neither Fowler or Spieth is on the team — they looked like long-term cornerstones. And from Tiger it displays a brutal lack of confidence in Spieth. I think that one hurts the most.
If Spieth thought he had made a good case, then he's been into the wacky tobacky. He finished 27th in the qualification points race, with lots of Chez Reavies and CHIII's above him. he isn't a remotely plausible selection, and yet folks continue to plead for his addition to the team.
In fact, there's whole friggin' question on it, yet I hear no one demanding that Chez Reavie be added to the team:
3. Some assumed Woods would take a flier on Spieth — much like Norman did several years ago with Adam Scott — to give a struggling player who is important to the team’s future success a confidence booster that could pay off in the long run, both for the player and team. Did Tiger make the right decision to think present instead of future when it comes to Spieth?
Huh? Have you boys not considered that moving on from Jordan might be the best thing Tiger could do for those future teams?
Zak: Screw the future! Win now, baby. Again, if we really wanted Spieth on this team, it starts with him playing better. He didn’t do it during last season, and he didn’t do it quite well enough this fall.Sens: Zak’s right again. This isn’t some touchy-feely middle school rec soccer league. Not everyone gets a medal for participation, or an invite to the varsity team. Spieth is a big boy and a tough competitor. A captain’s pick isn’t going to be what makes or breaks his confidence.
Bamberger: I’m guessing Koepka won’t play and Spieth will, in the end.
So, Mike, you're saying that this IS some touchy-feely middle school rec soccer league? An interesting test for the Phil-led cabal that has taken over these team events. can they maintain the sense that merit rules, or will it just be a televised version of Mean Girls.
Tiger is the beneficiary of helpful advise from the unlikeliest sources:
4. Former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley sent a tweet that suggested Woods should give up his duties as captain now that he’s going to play. “I’m surprised Tiger has not stepped aside as Captain of the Presidents Cup,” he wrote. “Was one of the goals set out by Americas task force in 2014 not succession planning and for immediate future Captains to gain valuable experience?” Should Woods consider this? How difficult do you expect it will be for him to balance playing with captaining?
This will shock you, but there's good answers and bad.... This is one of the best:
Bamberger: I think, in general, people should be more discerning about their use of the word should.
I see what you did there, Mike... Well played.
As for this:
Berhow: This is the Presidents Cup, not the Ryder Cup, and I see Tiger playing only one session each of the first two days. After that, he sets the tone himself in Sunday singles and watches the troops come in. (Let’s not overthink this; it’s just golf.)
Yes, Josh, it's a P-Cup... Which means, that there's three days (not two) of team play. Where are those layers and layers of fact checkers we hear so much talk of?
A Reflection of Rules - Deth Ann Nichols jumps into the fray on L'Affair Dye, first with this:
There’s no question that Dye breached the rule. But is she correct in saying that it’s a common occurrence in professional golf, particularly on par 3s?
Not surprisingly, the answer is complicated.
None of the players or caddies – on both the PGA Tour and LPGA – interviewed by Golfweek for this story can recall having seen a player flash fingers or verbally ask for club information.
In that instance, Dye is an exception.
Having provided that needed clarity, she immediately withdraws it:
But that doesn’t mean the advice rule isn’t broken in other ways throughout professional golf on a regular basis.
“Caddies flash numbers to players and caddies,” said one veteran LPGA player. Because rules violations are a sensitive topic, Golfweek spoke to caddies and players about the issue on the condition of anonymity. “That’s really not uncommon. I bet it happens in every group at least once during the round in every tournament.”
Mark Wilson tells an endearing story about penalizing himself, then pulls a Beth Ann and squanders the good will:
Hand signals on the PGA Tour, Wilson said, mostly happen between caddies. Wilson has told caddies that he hires ahead of time that they won’t be flashing any fingers. They will, however, keep the bag open for anyone to peek inside (perfectly legal).
Wilson doesn’t believe that the caddies who flash fingers – mostly out of convenience to save someone the trouble of walking over to look in the bag – are trying to cheat. He believes they’re simply trying to help.
But it’s still breaking a rule, and he’d like to see that rule changed. Wilson said he regrets not going to the USGA about it in recent years.
“It would be a little scary,” said Wilson of the ramifications of such a change, “but it would be nice to go down that road and investigate where it might lead.”
Wow, when you need me to define ethics, you're in a world of hurt.
It seems to me that people are confusing "legal" or, more accurately "not illegal" with "right". It may be impractical to penalize players for wandering eyes, but that player does not have a right to know what another player hit. There should really be very little discussion on this point, despite the obvious difficulties of enforcement. But there's a reason that we say that character is that which we do when we assume no one is watching....
The TC panel takes on another flavor of rules snafus:
5. After a week littered with scorecard-signing errors that resulted in disqualifications at the pro, collegiate and high school levels, is it time, in this era of rules “modernizing,” to consider looser guidelines — or perhaps a grace period — for these infractions? Or do players just need to shoulder the responsibility and be more diligent?
Zak: Definitely looser guidelines for the scorecard rule. I understand how important the scorecard is, don’t get me wrong. But perhaps the conclusion doesn’t have to be so cutthroat? I’d like to see a grace-period of, say, 15-20 minutes after a round before signing for your score is necessary. But as with most rules, uh, you could just follow them. Counting is easy. Remembering isn’t hard. Marking a score after each hole is pretty simple. Maybe just do that.Sens: You’d think this would have all been corrected after the ‘68 Masters. Yes. It’s time. Who wins and loses should be determined by what happens on the course. Not by a player’s accounting error.
Bamberger: No. Loose anything with the rules creates more problems than it solves. Keep your card with care. Sign it with care. Leave in peace.
This is a huge can of worms, and one that I don't have enough time to which to do justice.
I'm more in the Bamberger camp, but with some potentially significant clarifications. First, these incidents were widely different from each other, and there may some that are more amenable for changes than others. I think loosening the player's responsibility for the accuracy of their card is fraught with peril.
That said, I also think the officials at the event could be more proactive in heading off issues. I don't violently object to Sean's thought of a grace period, though I'm more of the "How do you let a player leave without the card being signed?" school.
I'll have more tomorrow, including Kooch's tearful return to Mayakoba...
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