Midweek Musings

Life is a wee bit complicated in the present moment, so just a few items for today.... 

Wither Jordan - The artist formerly known as Jordan Spieth makes his 2020 debut this week at Torrey, having withdrawn from the Sony at the last minute because of a....cold?  No doubt he'd "OK, Boomer" me if he reads this, but couldja be more of a snowflake, precious?

In any event, folks seem surprisingly interested in the State of the Jordan:

His winless spell has seen him fall to No. 45 in the world and has led some to wonder if he’s at a crossroads despite being 26. It’s a valid view seeing as Spieth’s had just 10 top-10s in 49 worldwide starts the past two years. 

Spieth, however, isn’t having any of that crossroads talk. He remains confident a return to his best days is in the offing and is committed in his plan to get there. 

“I kind of feel blank-slated here,” Spieth said Tuesday. “I’m almost approaching it like I did in 2013, where I was kind of hopefully ready to kind of bounce back to where I’ve been in the past. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right away, but kind of build to that.

“I feel like I got out of the fall tournaments what I wanted to, to an extent. It was a little trial and error and I was able to have some time to rest and then recover and then practice gearing up. 

“Big picture, I have a really good frame of mind, which should allow me to build some patience into getting my game where I want it to be.”

Let me see if I follow... You're in a good frame of mind, said good frame of mind being blank.  And you got what you needed from the fall events, though how you know that in view of the aforementioned blankness will just have to remain one of life's mysteries.

But Jordan digs deeper into his process for us:

“I expect to be certainly going out and trusting what I can trust, and whether that goes really well to start or it builds up, I know I’m on the right track,” he said.

The astute reader might notice that Jordan doesn't consider the full range of possibilities....  Can't say I blame him, but all this trusting and hopefulness is great until, you know, reality kicks in.

In this Golf Digest piece he goes a bit more analytical:

Spieth resorted to technology with which he was familiar to discover where his swing, notably with his driver, had strayed from the route that had taken him to No. 1 in the

world for an extended stay. 

He was alerted to “red flags,” he said, “and then adjust accordingly. The idea is to try and do it obviously when things are going really well. That’s probably the most important time to go do something, so you can get back on track.

“All in all, I’m just trying to get my timing down a little bit better. It’s nothing crazy, nothing wild, no big changes or anything. It’s just simply finding ways to go back in time to where I’m swinging my swing instead of trying to do anything special.” 

Taking it from 3D modeling to tournament rounds on the PGA Tour is the challenge, of course. However it plays out, his attitude is that it’s a start. “It’s when I kind of start to garner that control on the range and kind of transfer to rounds I play at home and transfer it to rounds on Tuesday, Wednesday and then you take it into tournament play.

Sounds easy enough...  I'm not especially optimistic on the kid, but golf is more fun with him in the mix.  Given my inclination to write him off, it would follow that he'll win at Harding Park and complete the career slam.

Hall Pass - Is there anything in our game more pitiful than the Hall of Fame?  OK, I'll concede Robert Allenby, but besides that?  Anyway, starved for relevance, the Hall dropped this press release yesterday:

World Golf Hall of Fame Modifies Selection Process Including Age Eligibility for Enshrinement 

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2020) – World Golf Foundation Board of Directors has voted to make several changes to the World Golf Hall of Fame eligibility and Induction process in an effort to ensure the game’s greats from around the world are actively recognized and celebrated. 

Changes to the eligibility include lowering the age of a Male or Female Competitor from 50 to 45 years of age or three years retired from the game. A player will be eligible for Induction provided he or she turns 45 the year of the Induction Ceremony. Additional changes include elimination of the Veterans category and replacing “Lifetime Achievement” recognition with “Contributor.”

A few years back they were at 40, an absurdly low age given the longevity in our sport.  Shack pokes them a bit on this latest change:

…and still no players will show up to the ceremony unless they are inducted or are paid to be there. 

Backstory: the Hall once took people as young as 40, then got ripped for inducting people in their prime, subsequently raising the age to 50. And now a middle ground.

Nobody shows up for the enshrinement of Jan Stephenson?  Another shock to the system....

Of course, I'm sure that this has nothing to do with a current resident of Jupiter, FL, who coincidentally will celebrate his 45th birthday this coming December.  Problem is, you're have to recast that plaque when he wins his 19th major in four years....

Distaff Doings - Did you catch the LPGA season-opening event?  Maybe not, because it went a little long:

Having already battled for five extra holes into darkness without producing a champion a day earlier, Gaby Lopez and Nasa Hataoka showed up to work at 8 a.m., just like regular

folks.

The early wake-up call and extra golf was worth it for Lopez, who rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt to prevail on the seventh playoff hole Monday and capture the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.

It was the second LPGA title for Lopez, who 14 months ago became the second player from Mexico to win on tour, joining World Golf Hall of Fame member Lorena Ochoa. She earned $180,000 for the victory.

Believe it or not, that shockingly low winner's purse is the least of the matter.

As Geoff notes, we've seen this movie before with the gals:

We’ve been through this before. The LPGA’s insistence on exclusively conducting sudden-death playoffs at the 18th hole can be tedious. Other tours are increasingly doing the same.

But I believe we have a new insanity record to ponder after the Diamond Resorts Invitational finished Monday morning following seven turns at the 197-yard 18th. (Eight total including the final round.)

Obviously they do that because the 18th green is the prime viewing area, and it's no big deal if the playoff settles matters quickly.

I don't know if Geoff has the same memory as I, of a playoff won by Lydia a few years ago at the season-ending event where they kept playing the difficult Par-4 18th.  Because it was a stern Par-4, the players inevitably kept making pars, and pars can be boring.

But how crazy is it to finish on a Par-3?  A playoff will always be a coin-flip, but can we not at least allow for the illusion that we're testing their games.  On a Par-4 or Par-5, they at least have to hit two different kinds of golf shots, and one never knows what kind of shot one will be left with into the green.

Here's the bit from that AP item above that blew me (and Shack) away:

“I do have a feeling for this hole. I like it. It was a perfect number for me to be honest. Yesterday I was hitting 4-hybrid, 3-hybrid, 4-hybrid. The wind was down, the wind was into, it got cold and it was hard for me to figure out the number. This morning with my coach and caddie we kind of figured out the number with Trackman and it was the perfect number for me.”

Ya got that?  She only had to play one golf shot, so she could dial it in using technology....  How is that a test of golf?

I've also come the conclusion that difficult holes make for boring playoffs.  Professional golfers are so good at getting up-and-down from anywhere, that a playoff on such a hole will inevitably result in an endless stream of pars.

Best Pravda Headline Evah? -  Probably not, given that it's such a competitive category.  But I think you'll agree that they know their base:

Golf Club for the 1 Percent Wants to Seize a Migratory Bird Habitat

Fair enough.  But given that we're all gonna die in twelve years regardless, is this really important?  

Here's their lede:

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The snowy owl was first spotted just beyond the 18th hole of one 

of the most expensive golf courses ever built. 

The bird was resting on a sandy beach filled with seashells and driftwood at the edge of Liberty State Park. Waves lapped the New Jersey shoreline of the Hudson River as birders with binoculars stood in awe two years ago. 

Nearby, behind a tall black fence, were the willow-lined fairways of Liberty National, an exclusive private golf course where luminaries like Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka have played, and where the original initiation fee for members was about half a million dollars.

Truly a battle of good vs. evil...  Here, though, is the crux of the issue:

The outcropping of land, known as Caven Point, is a migratory bird habitat where spotted sandpipers and American oystercatchers nest near elevated walkways that allow visitors to wander, from March to October, through tall reeds and onto the sandy beach. The other half of the year the wildlife is considered too fragile to permit access. 

But it is there that Liberty National officials say they hope to build three new holes, bringing more of the 18-hole course closer to the water’s telegenic edge and helping it draw high-profile PGA Tour events that supporters say spin off economic benefits for the state. 

“If we are not able to accommodate what these tournaments need, then they will simply go somewhere else that can,” said Chris Donnelly, a spokesman for Liberty National.

Now, you might be surprised, but in this case it's not simply a case of the runaway golf ball:

A spokesman for the PGA Tour, Joel Schuchmann, confirmed that the size of Liberty National had become a consideration, particularly for the Northern Trust, which is the first event in its FedEx Cup playoffs each year.

“It’s true that as the PGA Tour, and the FedEx Cup playoffs specifically, continue to grow in stature and interest among our fans, media and partners, so does the need to make certain the proper footprint is in place,” Mr. Schuchmann said in a statement.

I don't even know how they manage to get those folks Living Under Par™ to the site.  But let's root for the enviros, I know, not what you expected from me, but perhaps the Tour will go back to Ridgewood or Plainfield.  Do it for the children snowy owls.

On Gambling - Geoff has a fun rant on legalized gambling and our precious little game.  Here's a sample:

I’ve heard from a few folks not understanding my views expressed on recent podcast about pro golf gambling. They have not seen me turn a Daily Racing Form into a whip or turn to my Bovada app as a PGA Tour Sunday unfolds and a 20-1 shot sitting three back

has an eagle putt.

Gambling could be a great thing for PGA Tour coffers, their media partners and fan interest. With “fantasy” stakes invested in players, fans will find a way to sit through the tedium that is the five-hour round (and growing). But even if the focus is building a lineup each week and rooting for your selections based on research, today’s players seem unlikely to handle the scrutiny well. All too many have come to believe that their every move is a private matter where the exercise of playing in front of fans and media is nothing but an annoyance. And this is without legalized gambling. 

Say, in 2021, many states have legalized sports bettering and you can wager on PGA Tour golf, consider what fans will want to know and what media will be obligated to report: every observable pee-tournament detail that will be of interest to fantasy players and gamblers.

Actually, the sums involved seem to be more on the paltry side, and their embrace is only to protect the integrity of the game.  To which, I can only ask, Why start now?

But what Goeff seems to elide, is the extent to which the Tour's penchant for secrecy will conflict directly with the needs of the gambling community.  He frames his argument in the context of faux-observations from a practice round:

Today, during the closed-to-the-public practice round at the Farmers Insurance Open, I observed things that would be of interest to those making a lineup this week. Names will not be included, but imagine how upsetting these observations would be if names were involved and social media employed to help gamblers make a wagering decision. A sampling: 

—________, who was once addicted to his Trackman, was seen hitting balls without it and talking to someone who is not the instructor he has been officially linked to.

—_______ cancelled a planned nine-hole practice round to keep working with the new driver he’s trying to put in his bag. Tour team members were busy making adjustments and trying to find him a gamer.

—_______looked lost on the practice putting green, using alignment tools, instructing his caddie to record every putt for video review, and appearing utterly confused.

—________came to the course today but appeared under the weather and instead went to the fitness trailer for medical aid. 

—Because of a balky back, ________ was heard saying he can practice his putting for more than 30 minutes and hasn’t been able to hit balls how he’d like as he prepares to kick off his 2020 season on a course he’s played well at.

It's true enough, but where did this expectation of "privacy" originate?  I'm going with Ponte Vedra Beach, if only because it allows a reminder of DJ's unfortunate jet-ski accident a few years ago.

But look no further than Tiger, methinks.  If gambling had been legal in 2019, there would have been some angry folks that lost shekels betting on him all summer, only to find out after the fact that he was injured.

Golf In The Kingdom, 2020 - Just a tease for y'all, though perhaps it's mostly for my own self.  We have booked ourselves for a return visit for a return visit to the Kingdom of Fife in late July/early August, We will set up house in Pittenweem, reputed to be the only working fishing village left on the East Neuk.  It's the next village over from St. Monans, where we stayed last summer, so all of our acclimation will remain useful.

We are now overseas members of Crail Golfing Society, and we'll see how that suits us for the longer term.  We'll obviously avail ourselves of the daily ballot and hopefully have another day on the Old Course, one of the great pleasures of the golfing life, as well the other local courses.  But the real question is, who wants to visit us while we're there?