It's quiet out there, so don't blame the messenger....
'tis The Season - Did you hear about Halloween being rescheduled because of the weather? Lest you had any doubts that this next generation might not be sufficiently tough.
Not much to work with this year in terms of Halloween costumes. There's this, where I know who it is, but don't have a clue as to the what:
And fellow Bash Brother:
OK, I guess the first reaction is that the knee seems fine...
But Brooks, I can't help but notice that box....I get the reference, but I'm thinking that those suits in Ponte Vedra Beach won't be amused.
If I sound less than impressed, it's because I'm old enough to remember when costue choices seemed better:
That's a seven-year old Rickie on the left, the funny bit being that he needed the name tag... But that's an older Rickie who, in a lovely postmodern moment, dressed as his seven-year old self channeling Freddie....
Can You Say Mortal Lock - Monday is Captain's Pick Day, so shall we spare a few moments on that subject? Alex Myers says "Not so Quick" on you-know-who:
Tiger Woods isn't (quite) a lock to pick himself for the Presidents Cup, according to latest odds
He's citing betting odds,and I suspect it somehow relates to oddsmakers protecting themselves.... There seems little chance of him not picking himself, mostly because he's made it clear that he wants to play. And, as the sixth-ranked player in the world, why shouldn't he play?
A quick reminder, here are your eight automatic qualifiers:
KoepkaThomasDJCantlayXanderSimpsonKoochDeChambeau
Not a roster that blows you away, don't you agree? Especially when that top name is in doubt....
The near misses:
FinauWoodlandFowlerReedWoodsReavieKisnerPhilHowellBilly HoSnedsBubbaPutnamNa
Errrr, that doesn't make me feel any better... How about you?
The obvious problem, at least to my eye, is the paucity of putting talent. This listing of Strokes Gained: Putting tells the tale, with only Webb (11), Cantlay (26) and Bryson (28) in the top 30. Keep scrolling and we find Kooch (41), X-Man (46) and Brooksie (48). Justin and Dustin are further down, the former at 144, but perhaps we chalk that up to off years. Certainly JT has played better recently, so his numbers are likely illusory. How about a round of applause for Webb Simpson, who don't need no stinkin' anchored putter to make it out there.....
The problem for Tiger is that one typically looks to those guys that just missed automatically qualifying, in this case two seeming strong players that deserve consideration. Finau was on that Ryder Cup team and Woodland won the U.S. Open.... But they are 125th and 130th in SG: Putting, and the roster is already weak in the critical area.
My guess is that those names from 11th-13th therefore become locks. I think it's long past time to move on from Rickie as a stalwart of these team events, but at least the guy can roll it. We all joked in the aftermath of Paris about Patrick not expecting a Captain's pick, but that playoff win and the needs of the team likely make him a safe bet. My guess then is those three, plus one of Woodland or Finau. The team also needs guys that can hit fairways for foursomes, and either Gary or Tony fits that profile.
The problem I see would be taking both guys, especially if Brooksie can't play. names like Kiz, Sneds and Na could really help this team, though the case could be made that they haven't done enough to earn it.
Confidentially Speaking - Golf.com is out with their anonymous poll of players, which usually offers some tasty morsels.
This is my favorite bit, mostly because of its handling by the Tour:
WHO GOT YOUR VOTE FOR 2019 PGA TOUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR?
Rory McIlroy: 33%Brooks Koepka: 17%Other: 10%Didn’t vote: 40%
Hot takes:“Thirteen top 10s — Rory”“Easy. Hands down, Rory. If he didn’t win the Tour Championship, it would’ve been close. He was the most consistent. People don’t give him enough credit for all those top 10s.”“I forgot to vote.”
Now we know why the Tour wouldn't release the vote totals, because turnout was less than your local schoolboard election. Remember, when the Tour hides behinds its policies, there's always a reason.
And while that 40% number is the headline, I'd also call your attention to that fact that 10% of these bozos voted for someone other than Rory or Brooks.
But apparently they were as surprised as we were:
WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT MCILROY WON?
Yes: 31%No: 69%
Hot takes:“Who counts the votes? It’s the Tour, right?”
Well, as Uncle Joe Stalin told us....
This is somewhat related:
IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MAJORS OVERRATED?Yes: 22%No: 78%
Hot takes:
“Yes, by fans.”“Every week feels like a major.”“Majors are what your career is based on and how you are remembered.”
Every week? Whoever you are, you might be going about this wrong....
Serious answer is that they can be in the short-term, but not so much over a career. But the point about last year isn't that Rory didn't win one, it's that he played so poorly in all of them. Especially in the two that mattered most to him.
WHICH TOURNAMENT IS HARDER TO WIN?
Players Championship: 78%PGA Championship: 22%
Hot takes:“Do I get some brownie points from the Tour for saying Players?”“Players. Everyone in the field can win it because the course doesn’t favor any particular style of game.”
WHICH TOURNAMENT WOULD YOU RATHER WIN?
Players Championship: 38%PGA Championship: 62%
Hot takes:“Whichever has the biggest purse.”
OK, now do that second question for the three real majors....
TRUE OR FALSE: THE TOUR WOULD BE MORE INTERESTING IF THERE WERE FEWER EVENTS.
True: 50%False: 50%
Hot takes:“More millionaires, but more guys getting hurt. If you increase quantity in any industry, quality goes down.”“Would not be good for the new guys.”“A four-month break would make fans psyched that golf is back.”
ARE YOU A FAN OF THE NEW COMPRESSED MAJOR SCHEDULE?
Yes: 55%No: 45%
Hot takes:“It’s not like the Champions tour with a major every other week.”
Or the ladies with majors in back-to-back weeks. But, remind me, who runs that Champions Tour?
HOW MANY TIMES LAST SEASON DID YOU WITNESS A PLAYER KNOWINGLY BREAK A RULE AND TRY TO GET AWAY WITH IT?Never: 72%Once: 17%Twice: 7%Three times: 2%Four times: 0%Five times: 2%
Hot takes:“A few. More than you think. Always a hazard drop.”“Zero this year, but last few years about five.”“In person or on TV?”
Sung Kang, call your office.
And here's one near and dear to my heart:
DO YOU CONSIDER “BACKSTOPPING” CHEATING?
Yes: 36%No: 61%Unsure: 3%
Hot takes:“Seen instances but it’s blown out of proportion.”“We’re not that good.”“It’s against the rules. Look it up.”“Only in rare circumstances. Everyone wants it to be fair.”“It’s not cheating, but you should protect the field.”“It’s not done with the intent to cheat.”“By the letter of the law, yes. In my mind, no.”“Absolutely.”
Jimmy "Would You Like Me To Leave That There" Walker has settled this matter definitively. Now we only await the inevitability of an event being decided by this, then let's poll everyone.
ROUGHLY WHAT PERCENTAGE OF TOUR PROS WOULD YOU CLASSIFY AS “SLOW PLAYERS”?32% (average of all responses)
Hot takes:“On average, there is one slow player in every group.”“99%, including me.”“Too many.”
Have these guys been paying attention"
WILL RICKIE FOWLER WIN A MAJOR?Yes: 96%No: 4%
Hot takes:“He will win more than one.”“100%”
100%? More than one? Do you guys play poker, because I want to be at a table with you.
And the inevitable....
WILL TIGER WIN ANOTHER MAJOR?*
Yes: 73%No: 27%
Hot takes:“We all said no before and he did, so I say yes.”“Two more Masters. He’s going to have to get lucky, though, because his body is breaking down.”“Yes, and I would’ve never said that two years ago.”
Was this poll taken before or after the ZoZo? I would have thought before, just because of the time involved, but the bullishness seems inconsistent with what we saw all summer. hate to rain on their parade, but it all likely comes down to whether he can stay healthy.
Have a great weekend.
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