Wow, that was a nail-biter! No, not the Wasted, the Iowa Democratic Caucuses. Where's that #youhadonejob hashtag when we need it?
Of course, this nice lady is still bitterly clinging to the past, though one must admit that she has a point.
Shall we segue to a little golf? Not that there's all that much to discuss...
If You Build It... - By all evidence, Martin Dempster maintained his poker face while attending that Saudi Golf Summit:
The ambitious plan was revealed by Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation and Golf Saudi, as he spoke to reporters on the opening day of the inaugural Golf Saudi Summit.
Graeme McDowell won the second staging of the $3.5 million Saudi International on the European Tour event on Sunday at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.
That is also where a new Ladies European Tour event is being staged next month, when the prize fund will be $1 million.
"We’re not going to stop with one (event)," said Al Sorour. "We’re in communication with the Asian Tour, we’re in communication with the [European] Tour to have a second event."We have the Ladies European Tour and they merged together with the LPGA, so hopefully we get to the point where we have an LPGA event.
"And, of course, we’d love to have a PGA Tour event. One and a half years ago, I sat with Ty [Votaw, the PGA Tour's chief marketing officer) and had a great conversation on having an idea of putting a PGA Tour event in Saudi Arabia.
"One of the things that we also want to discuss with him is a World Cup and how we’re going to do that in Saudi Arabia, if that’s possible."
Now the men have taken a little heat for cashing Al Sorour's checks, but an LPGA event? That's gotta trigger a nuclear arms race in the woke Olympics, no? I'm not even clear how it would work, as the ladies aren't allowed in public unless escorted by a male relative....
Al Sorour was asked about support for the new Premier League:
“We can address it in multiple ways," he said. "Is it good for the game or not? This is what we’re thinking. If something is good for the game, we should just listen to the people who are leading it, sit down with the PGA Tour if the time permits."We’re just here to listen. We love the game and our love for the game will do whatever it takes to make the game great."
For the good of the game, and to think I had questioned his motives.
But, of course, not everyone is on the same page when it comes to the good of the game. My immediate reaction to this was a killer riposte, but Geoff got there first:
You may recall it was just last week that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan emailed players about the hostile Tour siphoning players away and highlighted that funding was coming from Saudi Arabia, home to public beheadings, among other human rights violations. A more cynical person than I might suspect he was suggesting the money was, uh, not clean.
So, it's OK for your players to take dirty Saudi money on a one-off basis, just not when it directly threatens the Ponte Vedra Beach feedlot. Got it.
A couple more items on the PGL, including a provocative Joel Beall's thesis:
“If the Team Golf Concept [one of the other names used by the PGL] or another iteration of this structure becomes a reality in 2022 or at any time before or after, our members will have to decide whether they want to continue to be a member of the PGA Tour or play on a new series,” Monahan wrote. That kind of brimstone isn’t wasted on a half-baked pitch.
Despite its vague framework, or perhaps because of it, the PGL concept (more on this in a moment) has generated interest and curiosity. Naturally, its overall viability is a large part of the discussion right now, and a recurring theme with multiple players, agents and league liaisons Golf Digest spoke to on the subject. But equally compelling is identifying just what kind of threat it really is to golf’s current institutions.
Because while rogue leagues have proven disruptive, history shows they can also be beneficial to the incumbent.
I'm far from convinced, but Joel makes his case based on innovation:
The ABA beget the three-point line, early draft eligibility, the slam dunk contest and a general flair that was painfully absent in the NBA of the 1970s. The AFL showed the power of television and high-powered offenses in the 1960s while the USFL, in just three seasons in the 1980s, brought the two-point conversion, replay review and bigger salaries to the NFL, with both building markets for future teams. Baseball’s independent and minor leagues broke the color barrier years before MLB, and shepherded the between-inning and in-game entertainment that is now standard at any ballpark. The WHA showed the NHL that hockey’s best didn’t have to come from Canada alone.
Not all “innovations” stick. Sadly, the XFL’s nickname-on-jersey novelty stayed just that. Still, competing leagues have a real ability to force the establishment to evolve. Which brings us to the Premier Golf League.
That nickname thing came back during MLBs Players' Weekend....
But his point is a good one, that large entities that don't face competition calcify... If you've spoken to your cable company recently, you'll know what of I speak.
But I would argue that the PGA Tour already has competition, to wit, the European Tour with ts shot clocks and the like is the most obvious example. Additionally, Tour events compete with each other, and while that's usually by pampering the players, there are more tangible benefits such as the Zurich team event.
Obviously I'm the first to complain about the mind-numbing dreariness of each weekly event, but one also has to acknowledge that we got to this juncture for some very good reasons. For instance, most insufferable purists love match play, considering it the purest, most primal form of golf. But, that said, one has to acknowledge that it doesn't work in the modern, TV-driven world. There's a reason the PGA Championship gave it up decades ago.
It seems to me that the PGL is making its case based upon two factors, the second being their team concept. But it's not terribly fleshed out, and seems an afterthought merely to provide something to discuss besides the filthy lucre.
A Cautionary Tale - As a golf fan and blogger, the linkage seems at best speculative. As a Yankee fan, however, where do I sign on?
A fantasy baseball contestant filed a federal class action Thursday against Major LeagueBaseball, the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros, claiming that they cheated fans of an honest fantasy baseball competition.
“While actively inducing their fans to enter into fantasy baseball wagers based on the individual statistical performance of MLB players, MLB’s member teams secretly engaged in corrupt and fraudulent conduct, in knowing and intentional violation of MLB’s Official Rules and regulations, that produced player statistics distorted by cheating and deprived their fans,” the complaint states.
Kristopher Olson, who filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, alleges that the MLB consistently promoted and engaged in fantasy baseball wagering contests through DraftKings that were “corrupt and dishonest.” Olson cited the league’s equity stake in the betting website, as well as additional agreements made with the teams.
And this certainly sounds similar to the path carted by the PGA Tour:
Despite maintaining a stern anti-gambling stance throughout much of the previous several decades, the lawsuit claims that the MLB came out in full support of baseball wagering in 2015, aware of the kind of opportunities such activities could open up for the business.
As the MLB began its support for wagering, it became co-owner of the betting site, a partnership that would ultimately give DraftKings exclusive sponsorship agreements with Major League Baseball teams.
Here's Shack's thoughts on the linkage to our little game:
Thanks to reader F.X. for seeing the below story and recalling back when Patrick Reed was knocking away sand last December that some saw such a cheating effort as pretty terrible.And it will be exponentially worse when America legalizes betting. As the opportunities arise to gamble on golf—with the PGA Tour actively encouraging the action—gamblers will not be comforted that Reed took a 2-sroke penalty like a gentleman when he goes on to keep contending in an event he should have been disqualified from.(Reed’s case is just one example of the potential issues arising from controversial rulings by a tournament staff.)
OK, I'm still trying to figure out why folks think Patrick should have been DQ'd.
I've got a better example, though. Remember the mayhem early last season at the incredibly botched rewrite of the rules relating to caddies aligning their players. One guy had a penalty imposed, and rescinded the following day. How do we think the gambling community will like that?
And, if you insist on a Patrick incident, how about his comment to the rules official that Jordan Spieth would have received a different ruling?
Oh, and how do we think they'll react if a backstopping incident effects results?
It has to get ugly, no?
Happy Distance Insights Day - Yup, today is the day... If only I had this dropping before we had Iowa results in my pool....
Shack will not be making any friends in Far Hills Liberty Corner or St. Andrews by linking to and excerpting this from the 2002 Joint Statement of Principles:
The R&A and the USGA believe, however, that any further significant increases in hitting distances at the highest level are undesirable. Whether these increases in distance emanate from advancing equipment technology, greater athleticism of players, improved player coaching, golf course conditioning or a combination of these or other factors, they will have the impact of seriously reducing the challenge of the game. The consequential lengthening or toughening of courses would be costly or impossible and would have a negative effect on increasingly important environmental and ecological issues. Pace of play would be slowed and playing costs would increase.
The R&A and the USGA will consider all of these factors contributing to distance on a regular basis. Should such a situation of meaningful increases in distances arise, the R&A and the USGA would feel it immediately necessary to seek ways of protecting the game.
Who ya gonna believe? The USGA and R&A, or your lyin' eyes?
A reminder of the significance of that 2002 date. The solid core ball appeared in 2000, though it took some time for the vast majority of players to adopt it. The use of a 2002 date as a baseline is quite disingenuous, ignoring the dramatic distance increase form that technological change. Michael Mann would be very proud of these guys.
I assume this report will document further marginal changes and recommend further study.... Unable or unwilling to control the game they regulate, the USGA and R&A instead decided to change the term "All Square" to "Tied", so at least we've got that going for us....
Analyze This - Joel Beall Ponders the defining question of our generation:
Does Tony Finau choke on Sundays, or is he the victim of bad luck? An analysis
I would just note that the two are not mutually exclusive.
Since the 2017-'18 season, Finau has 13 top-six finishes on Tour. Surprisingly, despite the stats above, there were zero instances of Finau free-falling while in contention. That said, the numbers aren't particularly kind.Granted, the lack of backdoor finishes has to break Matt Kuchar's heart, but alluded above, the results are damning. Finau has been within three shots of the lead seven times heading into Sunday, three of which he held or shared the lead. Finau worsened his position from Saturday to Sunday, either in strokes or standing, in a whopping eight of the 13 events.
Worse, there's a jarring absence of inspiring charges. The scoring average in those bids is 70 on the dot, which would have ranked outside the top 60 in final-round scoring last year. It's also 1.7 strokes higher than the winners' final-round score (68.30).
Given Tony's game, I'd be awfully interested in seeing his final round putting numbers. No doubt there'd be a sample size issue, but the man's Achilles Heel is the flat stick.
Ask and ye shall receive:
As to how it's happening, the general consensus is that Finau's putter goes cold, and there is some statistical evidence to support that. Last year he was 73rd in putts per round but 170th come Sunday, and 108th in fourth-round putts in 2018 against a 78th overall rank. But that's more of an overall projection than a week-by-week dissection. For what it's worth, Finau posted a 1.192 stroked gained/putting figure Sunday in Phoenix and finished fifth in the field in that category.
Interesting. It's been the putter, just not this week.
Rock My World - I'll do my best to not nod off:
Rory McIlroy will ascend to the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking when it getsupdated next Monday, despite not playing this week.
It will also happen regardless of this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
McIlroy is currently just .2 points back of Brooks Koepka, who is not playing this week either. Nor is World No. 3 Jon Rahm, leaving the door open for McIlroy to make the move to No. 1.
Algorithms can be so exciting.... especially when you ascend to No. while on the beach.
Rory gave a wide-ranging interview to The Irish Times, and the man is always engaging. It's really one of his best traits, for instance this on the ill-fated Thursday at Portrush:
“Yeah, I’m always nervous, but on the range I felt good, had a good warm-up, then started feeling it on the putting green before going to the first tee. Michael was there. I hit my final putt and shook his hand, ‘See you’. Then you go up and over the bridge, and the way they do it at the Open almost feels like a ring walk for a boxer. People are cheering. You come down the steps and through a tunnel and onto the tee box, and there’s this massive ovation. And I’m like, ‘Woah!’ That was the first time I felt it, ‘Jesus, this is huge!’ And I hadn’t prepared myself for it. I had prepared for the golf, and the golf course, but I hadn’t prepared for that feeling. And I don’t know if I could have prepared for that feeling.
McIlroy said he had felt nerves before, but Portrush was different, because it was home.
“Yeah, home. It comes back to that. There’s a connection there I don’t think you get with anywhere else — even talking about it now I’m getting goose bumps,” he said. “But that was the moment. You walk onto the tee and get this ovation and you’re like, ‘Wow!'”
Yeah, but home is something that's very relatable. Not relatable is when home is Northern Ireland, and, like Rory, I don't know how he could have been prepared for that.
And on East Lake:
Only person disappointed at East Lake
McIlroy had a front-row seat for Tiger Woods’ win at the 2018 Tour Championship. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever have the opportunity to be paired with Woods in a final round, and his performance was one to be forgotten. McIlroy wanted Woods to earn his comeback win, he wanted to “take the fight to him.”
“And I never made him earn it. That’s what bothered me,” McIlroy said. “And what bothered me even more was I came away (thinking), ‘I know I can play better than that. I know I can beat him.’ But I’d made it too much about him, and not enough about me.”
If it helps, it bothered the rest of us as well.... though not just at East Lake.
There's much more, so give it a read.
Headline of the Day - Perhaps they're no longer having public sex under the grandstands, but this header confirms that the Wasted can still deliver the goods:
Man accused of stealing alcohol, fleeing Phoenix Open rescued from canal before arrest
Florida Man better not rest in his laurels....
Tune in tomorrow, when I've been reliably informed we'll resolve the distance issue. Or, you know, not....
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