Ponte Vedra is definitely the leader in the clubhouse for security gates. The security gates are in place to protect the homeowners from muny golfers and help pizza deliverymen find the right neighborhoods, which all look alike but have different names--Quail Joint, Smuggler's Grape, Gator Cover, North Ditch, etc...
DAN JENKINS as Bobby Joe Grooves
Forgive the humorous lede at this rather scary juncture, but I'm figuring that we all need it. I'm also figuring this will be a rather permanent feature, at least in the short term.
Golf In The Time of Corona - You've heard the news from other sports by now:
NBA suspends season until further notice after player tests positive for the coronavirus
NCAA hoops tournaments will be played without fans
Given a rather prominent golf tournament on the calendar for this weekend, what will Jay do?
The PGA Tour decided shortly after midnight ET on Thursday to go ahead with the first round of the Players Championship, despite numerous sports leagues canceling or suspending play.
The first round of the Players Championship will go on as scheduled on Thursday and fans will be allowed on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The first groups are set to tee off at 7:40 a.m. ET.
The Tour’s decision came after a breathless night of developments in the sports world that began when the NCAA announced it would hold its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments without fans because of the coronavirus.
It's often said that character is that which we do when we think no one is watching.... But, perhaps, also when everyone is watching.
Those arguing for drastic measures (bear with me for a moment as to which of such measures) are making the case for public safety.... Those who believe the event should go on as scheduled are of course motivated by the filthy lucre involved (yeah, there are other reasons behind which they can hide, but c'mon). The former have, in the eloquent phraseology of our former POTUS, brought a knife to a gun fight.
As an amusing aside, when the Tour revealed it's new advertising slogan last year, several European players made the point that "Under Par" means to be ill, at least colloquially. The Tour seems committed to making life imitate art, or at least Madison Avenue...
Jay Monahan is leaving no stone unturned.....never mind, more like no deck chair in its original position. Get a load of this babble:
I would tell you that it started out as a task force. It's now essentially a business unit, where we have two leaders, Tom Hospel, our medical director, and Alison Keller, our chief administrative officer, who have organized a large team to fully understand the coronavirus and its implications on all facets of our business. I think it goes without saying that the health, safety, well being of our players, our fans, our tournaments, everybody that's involved in our ecosystem is of utmost importance.
So for us, we are relying heavily, as other leagues and sports and entertainment venues are, relying heavily on the World Health Organization, the CDC, but primarily given the fact that we're playing 175 tournaments over six tours, this really is about a market-to-market exercise and truly understanding what local public health officials, local government officials, what's happening on the ground through our tournament directors in every single market where we play.
Take that, naysayers.... The man has turned a task force into a business unit, yet you accuse him of doing nothing.... Or maybe it's that "without saying" bit, because I don't think you understand the meaning of "utmost".
So, they're listening to local public health officials, eh? What might they be hearing?
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health also reported on Wednesday that 26 people in the state have tested positive for the coronavirus. That number includes a man from St. Johns County, which is where TPC Sawgrass is located, as well as multiple cases from other counties in the region.
Yeah, nothing to see here....It's true that Florida has been slower to report cases, but that seems a false comfort in the moment.
Shack is pretty tough on the Commish in this long post, including this rationale offered by Jay:
Since Monday’s painful and unnecessary appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Commissioner Jay Monahan and his team have clung to the notion that vast outdoor acreage will be the PGA Tour’s primary defense against a virus with so many unknowns.
Wasn't Monday a far more innocent time? But while there's obvious truth that a golf crowd is more dispersed than a hoops crowd, they'll of course be jammed into shuttle buses to get to the course and grandstands once there.
But they don't seem very concerned about their fans, do they? They're all chasing their tales to attract Millennials to the game, but their fan base remains OLD. Who is most vulnerable to the Corona Virus? And by the way, it's not just fans.... have you ever looked at the marshals and other volunteers at a golf tournament? Jay, if your fans catch Covid-19, they'll die. Not good for business, no?
I'm in shock at the decision, just from a public relations standpoint. Obviously we won't know the cost of going forward with this for a few weeks at the earliest, but should this turn out like that famous Biogen conference, it'll be quite the black mark for the Tour. And given the demographic involved, we might well be tossing around death statistics as opposed to merely infections.
I'm not saying that they should have cancelled the tournament, but I feel very strongly that they should be playing without spectators. The players are, as Rory recently reminded us, big boys that can make good decisions for themselves. Jay says they're listening to the CDC, but the CDC has clearly advocated for eliminating large crowds.... So in what way are they listening?
The Tour Confidential panel stood up a nightly roundtable, and the writers were asked this very question:
1. With the threat of the coronavirus intensifying on Wednesday, President Trump suspended travel to and from Europe for 30 days, the NBA suspended its season until further notice and the NCAA announced it would conduct the NCAA basketball tournament without fans. But as of Wednesday evening, the PGA Tour is still moving forward with the Players Championship. Right move?
Dylan Dethier: Since I’m writing this from a restaurant in Jacksonville Beach, let’s start with the event that begins in 9 hours. The Players can’t reasonably let fans in given the context of everything else going on — right?! For reference, I saw Patrick Reed sign probably 200 autographs today. I saw boatloads of retirees there today. Golf courses have major advantages over basketball stadiums, for sure. But imagine the scene by 17! Maybe the tournament should go on, but hard to imagine fans attending. Right?
Zephyr Melton: The fact that the Tour hasn’t taken a firm stance on this matter yet is concerning. Other major sports leagues are proceeding without fans. The Tour is … holding Chainsmokers concerts? Golf tours around the world have been quick in postponing and cancelling events. What’s going on in Ponte Vedra? The coronavirus pandemic is evolving rapidly. The Tour better take some decisive action, even if it is at the expense of their crown jewel at Sawgrass.
Luke Kerr-Dineen:: Golf exists in a bubble. That’s not news to anyone, but this week has been a reminder of how truly divorced from reality our game currently is. Every major sports league in the world — and now even the President of the United States — has recognized this as the pandemic that it is, and made wide-scale changes accordingly. Golf has proceeded like it’s business as usual, not fully appreciating the fact of how uniquely exposed it is. Players, coaches, caddies, fans, the equipment itself players use, travel from all over the globe, every week. It’s too late for golf to lead the sports world on this matter, but there’s still time to follow suit. Proceeding with the Players this week without fans seems the safe, smart call based on how other leagues are handling their respective situations.
Nick Piastowski: My question would be, what is there to be gained by playing on? Listen, you and I are all golf fans, and we love to see the game go on and history to be made and champions crowned. And I wholeheartedly believe that the Tour has done its due diligence. But why play with ANY fire? Play it when it’s right and folks are safe. What’s the possible answer when fan X sits on No. 17 on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass, comes in contact with fan Y with coronavirus, and fan X gives it to someone susceptible, if they aren’t themselves? The definite answer is you are proactive. If the NBA is doing something, if the NCAA is doing something, sports institutions who you would think have vetted this properly, what is stopping the Tour?
James Colgan: Yesterday, I described the PGA Tour’s approach toward coronavirus at the Players as “vigilant stoicism.” Now, “vigilant stoicism” appears as oxymoronic as it is. It bears noting that the NBA cancellations were largely driven by Rudy Gobert (a player who contracted the virus), while other leagues like the NHL are maintaining the status quo…for now. But still, it seems the Tour finally has to pick a lane — the night before 50,000 are expected to descend upon TPC Sawgrass. I’ll tell you this: I’m happy I’m not the one getting paid to make that call.
Alan Bastable: These are scary, uncertain times that have left even contagious disease experts mystified. Who knows what the right call is? (Heck, I’m still questioning my decision to ride New Jersey Transit this morning.) Jay Monahan said earlier in the week that decisions around whether to proceed with events will be made “market to market.” In this case, the Tour is conducting its flagship event on its flagship course. Pulling the plug would be an agonizing move, especially on the eve of the tournament. Public pressure undoubtedly will be INTENSE tomorrow, Friday, through the weekend, but at this point hard to fathom the show not going on.
Zephyr Melton? There's three guys there that I've never heard of.... Are Shipnuck and Bamberger self-quarantined?
I just can't get my arms around the logic of this decision. The Tour is the ultimate golden goose, all you have to do is avoid killing it... The loss of revenue from spectators (including concessions and merchandise) is undoubtedly a big number, but its loss can't possibly significantly affect the Tour (especially in light of the new media deals). But the failure to adequately protect the public? It tales all of one infected person one one those shuttle buses or, heaven forfend, in a sponsor's tent.
In other golf-related updates:
Amid coronavirus pandemic, golf's majors are still on but don't expect high fives
Of course, the first of those majors is held in a controlled hothouse, but it's this one that's of greater concern:
Most pressing for the golf community, perhaps, is the PGA Championship. The season’s second major is scheduled to take place May 14-17 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. On Wednesday, however, San Francisco mayor London Breed announced that the county is issuing a public health order that would prevent groups of 1,000 or more people from assembling in one space. It’s an order explicitly designed to limit the spread of the virus.
According to the L.A. Times, there are 157 confirmed virus cases in California and the number is expected to grow well beyond that in the coming days.
My guess is that The Masters will be played, though very likely without fans patrons. Remember, the Lords of ANGC went without advertisers for a few years back in the Martha Burke days, so they at least won't be driven by the financial impact.
Of course, there were those rumors about a move of the PGA Championship to this week's venue, but the leadership of that organization has clarified that they're idiots:
The PGA of America, however, issued a statement on Tuesday addressing reports that the PGA Championship could potentially be moved from Harding Park, saying that wasn’t accurate. In spite of the San Francisco health order, the PGA reiterated its points a day later.
“At this time, no such discussions have taken place,” the statement read. “We continue to carefully monitor this rapidly evolving situation, in close coordination and communication with representatives from San Francisco. We will follow the guidance of state and city officials and public health authorities, keeping the safety and well-being of all involved as our highest priority.”
OK, maybe the denial is true in its narrowest sense, but they seem to want us to assume that they have no contingency plans.... That would be foolish on a grand scale, not that the contingencies themselves come with any guarantees....
To me, Jay is out there all alone on this one.... and he's taking a hell of a risk with others' health. Not a good look, not a good bet, and if and when this blows up on him, I don't see where he comes out with his and the Tour's reputation intact.
Back To Normalcy - Or at least the illusion of normalcy.... What could be more normal than Who Ya Got?
Anonymous Caddie Picker of the Week: Sungjae Im (25-1) — Aside from Rory, Im is the hottest player on tour at the moment. His ball-striking is truly world-class, and his ability to grind rounds out on demanding courses really shows how tough he is. The Florida swing has been good to him, and there's no reason why it shouldn't continue this week. He should definitely contend, and this number has nice value despite being so much lower than what you'd expect from Im. That's the type of golfer he is now.
Well, we're supposed to avoid crowds, so I'd pass on the vast multitudes hopping this train....
Pat Mayo, DraftKings/Fantasy National analyst: Patrick Cantlay (28-1) — Even with victories at Memorial and Shriners in his young career, Cantlay is still looking for that next level win. And Sawgrass has been that place for a lot of rising stars the past 15 years—Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler. Cantlay could very logically be next. His ball-striking is among the world’s elite; he enters ranked fifth in the field over his past 24 rounds in strokes gained/approach, has no finish worse than T-17 in any if his past five starts, and maybe the biggest thing, he’s vastly improved his short game. Something once seen as a liability. If his putter cooperates, the 27-year-old gives you really nice value compared to the other elites here.
Brandon Gdula, FanDuel/numberFire editor: Xander Schauffele (28-1) — The Players is a volatile event, and with the loaded field, we can get some lower odds on stars. That’s what we’re getting with Xander. Schauffele has five top-10 finishes in 11 tries at majors; we all know this isn’t a major, but it’s close—and it speaks to Schauffele’s ability to contend in tough, deep fields. Schauffele grades out positively in all four strokes gained stats in 2020, especially in the more predictive ball-striking data.
Funny, but on Sunday my Fairview buddy Leon asked me who I like in the Masters, and I had trouble coming up with logical names. Problem is that many of the top players, Koepka and Thomas notably, have just demonstrated dreadful form. For what it's worth, the two names I came up with for Leon where X-Man and Cantlay.
But this guy? Not ever, and certainly not here:
Dr. Lou Riccio, Columbia University: Dustin Johnson (25-1) — You are not likely to see a 25-1 number on Dustin Johnson anytime soon. My model puts his projected odds in the 18- to 20-1 range. That's still down from his usual 12- to 16-1 to where you'd expect to find him pre-tournament. Sure he hasn't won yet this season, and he played poorly in Mexico. But it would be a surprise to nobody if something clicked on the greens and he hits it well enough to win at Sawgrass.
I can't imagine that DJ likes this track very much. More importantly, while he might have temporarily misplaced his own, Brooks still has DJ's manhood under lock and key.
Some sleepers of interest:
Caddie: Matthew Fitzpatrick (50-1) — I'm surprised these odds are this high. He closed out last week with possibly the best round of the tournament, and he stated that he enjoys tougher setups. This could be Fitz's week.
Mayo: Paul Casey (66-1) — After consecutive top 25s at the Players, the Brit was THE trendy pick to emerge victorious a year ago. That didn't work too well, so naturally, everyone jumped off the bandwagon, and he returned the next week and won at Copperhead. In 2020, he heads to Sawgrass with some middling results, but all are entire short game related. The ball-striking has been off the charts this year. Not literally. It’s actually quite easy to measure these things on a chart. He’s gained more than +5.5 strokes gained/approach in each of his past two events and Casey averaged a specular +2.3 strokes gained/off-the-tee in those starts.
The winners here are all over the lot, but you'd think Fitzy, a shorter player, might do well here. But Marc Leishman as a sleeper? No, if you like him, put him with the big boys where he belongs.
As for players to "fade", I have no problem with these two:
Caddie: Brooks Koepka (40-1) — I'm still not sold on him being tournament-ready. Out on the range this week, he doesn't look like he's figured it all out yet. I don't doubt that he'll be back soon, I'm just not sure he's back where he needs to be to compete.
Mayo: Rory McIlroy (7-1) — It’s not the player, it’s Rory’s price. At a course where variance runs high, the favorite just isn’t likely to win. It’s not to say he won’t play well; he likely will, but a third-place finish doesn’t cash the ticket. Plus, no one’s ever won back-to-back at Sawgrass.
Who woulda thunk we'd ever see Brooksie at 40-1...Now, there was this bit:
Brooks Koepka’s ‘woes’ were diagnosed by legendary coach Butch Harmon after 4 swings
Brooks works with Claude Harmon, Jr., and asked for permission to fly to Vegas to see Dad....But who knows, it can be the smallest thing that makes it click. But like DJ, I just can't imagine Brooks liking this place very much.
As for Rory, logic alone says not this week. But he did make a funny about the joint:
Q. You've mentioned that Pete Dye courses were a little bit of an acquired taste for you. I wonder was there a turning point where you started to feel a little bit morecomfortable, could have been Kiawah in 2014 or could have been -- you had three top 10s here in a row early on. When did you start turning the corner on that, and is there a hole out there that still kind of drives you nuts?
RORY MCILROY: So 2010 Whistling Straits was when I turned a corner. I turned up there, it was the PGA Championship, and I hated it. Like I really did not like it. I had to tell myself, look, you just need to like it for one week. Just get your head around liking this place for one week and embracing the fact that it's different and the fact that it's visually a little funky and whatever. I ended up finishing third that week and one shot out of a playoff, and I think that was when I sort of had turned a corner in terms of not necessarily loving Pete Dye golf courses because of -- I think he's a wonderful golf course designer, but I never liked how he made you feel on the golf course in terms of hiding things and angles, and it makes you a little bit uncomfortable, which is obviously his plan. Like he's a wonderful designer of golf courses, but that was the week where I had to embrace what Pete tried to put into his golf courses.
Yeah, going on from there, winning at Kiawah, winning at Crooked Stick, winning here, I've started to quite like them. But as you said, an acquired taste. They're like beer when you're younger. You sort of don't like it but then you think it's cool to drink it and then you sort of acquire a taste for it.
C'mon, Rors, don't forget from where you come. There was beer in your formula bottle....
Alan Shipnuck has a fun piece on this amusing subject:
Why do we care so much if the Players is considered a major?
Who do you mean by "we"? It's not a major, but isn't the science settled on this? Apparently not, and the arguments gets a tad heated:
The annual debate as to whether or not the Players Championship should be considered the fifth major got off to a rollicking start in December, as two of golf media’s loudest voices, John Feinstein and Brandel Chamblee, spent the better part of a week trading barbs and opinions on Twitter. A handful of other media members were unwittingly tagged in the exchange, and Jason Sobel, of the Action Network, spoke for all of us when he called it a “hostage situation.”
Heh! But really, at this late date how worked up can one get? You make the call:
“The reason Golf Channel and NBC promote the Players as a quote-unquote major isbecause the Tour pushes them to do it,” says Feinstein. “Golf Channel was in a panic the last few years that they’d lose the broadcast rights to Tour events, so they bent over triple-backward to keep the Tour happy. I was on air for Golf Channel and used the old Jeff Sluman line: ‘When you go to Denny’s and order the Grand Slam, they don’t give you five things, do they?’ The producer in my ear yelled, ‘John, stop! You can’t say that here!’ ”
Parries Chamblee, “John likes to think there are nefarious forces at work, but I’ve argued for a long, long time that the Players should be a major. I came to that idea uncoerced by anybody. It’s just a logical conclusion.” Chamblee cites the Players’ strength of field, which is annually the strongest of any tournament, to which Feinstein says, “Yes, the bottom half of the field is deeper, but anybody who really matters is at all of the majors.”
That strength of field is a reasonable argument, but that Wendy's reference might just be the worst appeal to authority in the history of journalism. Brandel is far from consistent, also known to call the TOC an important championship. But the shear nastiness is good fun:
Chamblee is particularly bullish about the Stadium Course, saying, “If you’re willing to get away from the fact that Sawgrass was built in a swamp, that queens and kings did not walk the grounds and that billionaires don’t own houses next to it, it’s unassailably one of the finest championship tests we have. Amen Corner has nothing on Sawgrass’s 16th, 17th and 18th holes, other than aesthetics and a catchy name.” (Feinstein: “I’m not a golf course architect, but the only memorable hole there should have a clown’s mouth on it.”)
C'mon, John, there's no shortage of memorable holes there, though it is for sure a different kind of golf course....
Alan does editorialize a bit about the history of it all:
As Chamblee suggests, the history and mythology surrounding the existing major championships is the biggest obstacle to overcome for the Players. When Gene Sarazen won the second Masters, in 1935, no one pounded him on the back and said, Congratulations on another major championship, old boy. In those days the Western Open was far more prestigious. Bobby Jones’s Grand Slam in 1930 included the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur, but it’s been half a century since those events were considered a big deal. It wasn’t until the early ’60s, when the dawn of the TV age coincided with Arnold Palmer’s and Jack Nicklaus’ dominance at Augusta, that the Masters came to be seen as an equal to the Open Championship, U.S. Open and PGA Championship.
Nor did they congratulate him on completing the career Grand Slam, which was a retroactive thing....
Alan's rousing coda is well worth your time as well:
I’ve always been philosophically aligned with Feinstein, having been grossed out by the Players hype peddled by the Tour. But now, with Chamblee’s help, I’m realizing that elevating the Players’ status might affect my own. “Want to be a myth-maker, too?” he says, in the tone of a fairy-tale baddie offering a poisoned apple. “If you lead the charge to make the Players the fifth major, generations from now you could be celebrated like Herbert Warren Wind.” So tempting!
Alas, some things are immutable: There are four seasons, four Beatles, four horsemen of the apocalypse, and only four major championships.
Resist that temptation, Alan, at all costs....
View From Inside The Eye - Sean McManus, Chairman of CBS Sports, gave a lengthy interview about their new contract, with this perhaps calming certain fears:
Q. With CBS having to pay significantly more in rights fees, should viewers be concerned that you’re going to have to add additional sponsorship and promotionalelements to make up that difference?
SM: Definitely not. In fact, we have regular conversations with the Tour about eliminating some of the clutter, so I would say if anything you’re going to see fewer interruptions than more. We’re going to continue to try to do more CBS Eye on the Course, the double box, so you don’t miss live golf action. We and NBC, although sometimes we get criticized, we and NBC run basically the same commercial load. You will not see that expanding in this deal, and if anything we’re going to try to reduce the clutter a little bit. We’ve already reduced the amount of on‑air promotions we do for other programs, and I think we and the Tour are really cognizant of the fact that you want to show as much golf as you possibly can, and the two box is one way to do that, and less clutter is another way to do it. But no, there’s not going to be increased sponsorship or increased commercial inventory in the new deal.
As much golf as possible? Yeah, that's not the CBS we know....
As for this?
Q. You retained a lot of the traditional golf properties, plus now you’re going to be alternating years on the three-event FedExCup Playoffs with NBC. Do you thinkthat can lead to greater prominence for the Playoffs?
SM: I think it’s a really good idea for the Playoffs. We enjoyed obviously doing the Northern Trust every year, but to have the final two events on one network and the first event on another, I think probably didn’t make a lot of sense, I think, from a promotional standpoint and a branding standpoint, having one network be able to produce and promote, more importantly, all three, I think it’s easier on the viewer. He’ll know where the events are. So I think it’s a really good idea, and to develop the story lines that you want to develop throughout the Playoffs I think is easier for one broadcaster to do than if two are involved in that storytelling and production and promotion.
Yeah, that's about the only thing that could make the "playoffs" less watchable....
Of course, to John Feinstein's point above, the interview is a softball game. Nothing that approached a tough question, as if there's no discontent about their product. So, more of the same for an additional nine years.... Oh, Goody!
I'll leave you folks there and we'll reconvene, electronically of course, tomorrow morning.
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