Brief Thoughts

A great day yesterday at Alta, but the body is really feeling it.

Just a couple of quick thoughts form you favorite blogger.  I watched most of the morning session yesterday, but then only caught the early portion of afternoon foursomes.  Those two points make Sunday doable for either side.

Here are your singles pairings:

Presidents Cup Day 4 singles matches (ET) 

Match 19: 6:02 p.m. Tiger Woods (USA) vs. Abraham Ancer (INT)

Match 20: 6:13 p.m. Tony Finau (USA) vs. Hideki Matsuyama (INT)

Match 21: 6:24 p.m. Patrick Reed (USA) vs. C.T. Pan (INT)

Match 22: 6:35 p.m. Dustin Johnson (USA) vs. Haotong Li (INT)

Match 23: 6:46 p.m. Bryson DeChambeau (USA) vs. Adam Hadwin (INT)

Match 24: 6:57 p.m.Gary Woodland (USA) vs. Sungjae Im (INT)

Match 25: 7:08 p.m. Patrick Cantlay (USA) vs. Joaquin Nieman (INT)

Match 26: 7:19 p.m. Xander Schauffele (USA) vs. Adam Scott (INT)

Match 27: 7:30 p.m. Byeong Hun An (INT) vs. Webb Simpson (USA)

Match 28: 7:41 p.m. Justin Thomas (USA) vs. Cameron Smith (INT)

Match 29: 7:52 p.m. Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Louis Oosthuizen (INT)

Match 30: 8:03 p.m. Rickie Fowler (USA) vs. Marc Leishman (INT)

Logically, Tiger had to go first or last, and this probably makes more sense.   For those of us eagerly anticipating a Cam Smith-Patrick Reed cage match will be necessarily disappointed.

OK, no one seems to have a clue as to why Tiger sat yesterday afternoon.  Did you catch that Steve Sands interview with Tiger as the afternoon was just underway.  Sands asks why he isn't playing, and Tiger gives his non-answer about doing what's best for the team.  An answer, I'm sure you'll agree just begging for a blindingly obvious follow-up question, which hard-hitting journalist Steve Sands passes on....  Hey, no one's gonna make him mess with his access.

John Huggan has a similar scenario, which I assume is from a press conference, in which the press corp comes off considerably better:

In an outwardly perplexing move that surprised just about everyone—including International skipper Ernie Els—Woods made the decision to sit out a second

consecutive session. The 15-time major champion, who won both of his matches on days one and two, was also absent from the Saturday morning four-ball matches his side lost 2 1/2 to 1 1/2. 

“You have to do what's best for the team, and I'm getting ready for the singles tomorrow,” was Woods’ response to the predictable opening question: why aren’t you playing this afternoon? 

The follow-up was equal obvious: Did your assistants agree with your decision, or did they try to talk you out of it? 

And this time a slightly more revealing answer resulted. Clearly, the captain’s assistants Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson and Fred Couples had all tried to get their skipper to tee-up in the afternoon foursomes. 

“I tried to talk myself out of it, too,” confirmed a deadpan Woods. “But, you know, it is what it is. We’re going to go out there and try and get some points today and be ready for tomorrow.” 

And no, Tiger is not injured. We know this because he said so.

Tiger's glutes were unavailable to confirm their activation status.  

This crap is pretty maddening, as Huggan deftly notes in that last bit.  But really, when has he ever misled us about his physical condition?  

The Reckoning Ahead - If Tiger's refusal to share with us his physical condition is that annoying paper cut, Patrick Reed has become a cancer on the team.  And one that's metastasized....

Let me acknowledge that the reckoning ahead will unfortunately be affected by tonight's results, for both the team and his individual match against C.T. Pan.  I wish it weren't so, but that's how these things go.  As you might have noticed, after an agonizing defeat in their first fourball match, that dream pairing with Webb Simpson went completely pear-shaped, absorbing a 5&3 drubbing from Hidecki and C.T. yesterday morning.

But at least Team Patrick kept its composure:

After Reed, playing with partner Webb Simpson, lost his morning four-ball match, 5 and

3, dropping his record on the week to 0-3, Kessler Karain, Reed’s caddie and brother-in-law, got into an altercation with a fan. 

Multiple outlets, including ESPN, reported that Karain shoved a fan after the fan lashed out at Reed. The reports are based on a statement that Karain provided the outlets.

"As a caddy one of your jobs is to protect your player. And unlike several other sports, in golf fans can get pretty close to Athletes," Karain said as part of the statement. "We have been known for having fun with some good banter, but after hearing several fans in Australia for 3 days some had taken it too far, I had enough. And this gentleman was one of them. I got off the cart and shoved him, said a couple things, probably a few expletives. Security came and I got back in [the] cart and left. I don't think there's one caddy I know that could blame me."

So, Kessler, let me see if I have this right.  You jumped off the cart, spewed profanity at and shoved a fan, and you think the caddie yard will line up behind you?  Let me try to explain how things work here on Planet Earth.... Nah, why bother?

Dylan Dethier has a charmingly naive take on Tiger's faith in the man, but get a load of this trend line:

Big picture, the showing marks a negative trend for Reed in team competitions. PGA Tour’s Sean Martin pointed out that with former partner Jordan Spieth, Reed was 8-1-3 between the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. Without Spieth, Reed’s record has slipped to — wait for it — 0-7-0. That’s a discouraging run, to say the least. 

Reed boasts a 3-0-0 record in Ryder Cup singles (he’s 0-1-1 at the Presidents Cup) so it would hardly be surprising if he shows up for Sunday’s match. But this was a week where he was a lightning rod for attention and a distraction for the U.S. team for all the wrong reasons.

All this in an event that's designed to be nothing more than a feel-good friendly...  

If only we had a task force that could help us avoid these land mines. 

I have found myself instinctively rooting for the International Team.  I just like those guys better, and who doesn't love an underdog.  Enjoy!

OK, I lied, one last amusing bit from Alan Shipnuck:

That's pretty funny.