Tuesday Tastings

As I hinted at yesterday, the next two days involve morning golf.  Blogging will likely be a game-time call, dependent on whether anything appears that impels me to the keyboard.

Golf in the Time of Corona - A Continuing Feature - Listen up, everyone with a teetime at the Rocket Mortgage, please take one step forward.  Not so fast, Harris:

PGA Tour veteran Harris English withdrew from this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic after testing positive for Covid-19, the PGA Tour said in a statement on Monday afternoon. 

“As part of the PGA Tour’s pre-tournament screening process this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, PGA Tour player Harris English tested positive for COVID-19 and has been withdrawn from the event.” 

English did not compete in last week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut. The statement said the two-time Tour champion “will have the PGA Tour’s full support throughout his self-isolation period under CDC guidelines.” 

English is the fifth PGA Tour player to test positive for Covid-19 since the Tour returned to action three weeks ago at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Though no positive tests were recorded in the first week at Colonial, Nick Watney tested positive before the second round of the RBC Heritage, forcing him to withdraw from the event.

The blow cushioned by that sweet $100,000 stipend just, yanno, for the inconvenience.

Shack takes time out from his primal screams that "We're all gonna die" to question the sincerity of this from Harris English's statement:

“While it’s disappointing to receive this news, as I feel healthy, I’m pleased that the new safety protocols we have in place worked this week,” English said in the Tour’s press release about his WD. “I fully supported the Tour’s new rule of not allowing anyone on the tournament grounds until testing negative, as protecting others in the field and everyone affiliated with the tournament and the community should be the No. 1 priority as a result of a positive test. I appreciate the Tour’s support, and I look forward to competing again after I’m fully recovered.”

Here's Geoff's take:

The tournament lost several multiple players on Monday who had committed, with the PGA Tour announcing Harris English as the fifth player to test positive for COVID-19. He has withdrawn and will spend ten days in quarantine. His Whoop band apparently hasn’t arrived in the mail yet as the boilerplate statement only included the shameless homage to the Ministry of Sawgrass almost assuredly not uttered by English.

Geoff, may I suggest Ministry of Fear as a metaphorical alternative to your Ministry of Sawgrass, which doesn't carry the dystopian overtones of the iconic Graham Greene title.  No thanks necessary, I'm happy to pitch in where needed.

I, on the other hand, reveled in the logical inconsistencies.of the boilerplate testimony.  Harris seems to be focused appropriately on his recovery....  But, pardon the inconvenient question, recovery from what, exactly?  

We also have great news from Nick Watney, who remains stubbornly not dead:

Monday marked the 10th day of self-isolation for Nick Watney, the minimum required for PGA Tour players who test positive for the coronavirus. 

He said he is feeling good except for some minor fatigue, perhaps brought on by a major case of boredom, and except for the distinction of becoming the first of what now is five players and two caddies who have tested positive since the PGA Tour returned amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has that which Employee No. 2 has taken to calling Corona Brain.  Nick also had this to say:

"I will say, it's not the greatest feeling being the first to get it," Watney said in his first interview since he was notified June 19 at the the RBC Heritage of his positive test. 

"Some things are so vague around this thing," he said. "The symptoms ... some people get this, some get that. I haven't had a fever or cough the whole time, no shortness of breath. Maybe that's the reason it's so scary. I still don't know how or where I got it." 

He lost his sense of smell, a sensation he described as "gnarly," but said that is coming back. And perhaps the strangest sensation is being at a golf resort without playing golf.

First, you might well have been the first to test positive, though I doubt you were the first to get it.

But between English and Watney we can see the vague outline of the range of outcomes experienced by young, healthy people when infected with the virus.   That which I previously characterized as ranging between mild inconvenience and a nothingburger...

Lastly, Alan Shipnuck dropped his mailbag on Friday, one I've seen fit to ignore until now.  I'm old enough to remember when Friday was reserved for bad news dumps, it remains a mystery as to why Golf Magazine sees fit to bury it.  Alan had this on the subject du jour:

How many positive tests do you think would it take to shut down a tournament/pause the schedule? —@WallDwarf 

I fear we’re going to find out soon. The attrition in Hartford continues, and, given the incubation period of up to 14 days, the Tour has yet to feel the full effects of conducting a tournament amid the spring break atmosphere in Hilton Head. Commissioner Jay Monahan has refused to say what the threshold is for pulling the plug, which I understand. The decision-making doesn’t take place in a vacuum. When the PGA Tour was doing all the hard work to reconfigure its schedule the U.S. economy was largely shut down and the citizenry was sheltered in place. The Tour pressed forward forward, optimistically and ambitiously. It’s bad luck and bad timing that the tournaments restarted just as economic pain and politics compelled the “reopening” of public life and Americans collectively decided we were tired of fighting the virus.

With infection rates now spiking in 30 states, how long can the Tour play on? Most of the players live in raging hot-spot states Florida, Texas and Arizona. Many or even most of the pros are being vigilant but the traveling entourages are simply too big to control the spread of the virus. It’s not an accident that caddies figured in some of Hartford’s W/Ds. The loopers are subject to much less scrutiny than the players but they can just as easily bring the virus inside the ropes. The Tour lost two of the top-five players in the world at Hartford but played on. A lot of big-name players are now skipping next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic; could be fatigue, or existential dread. In recent days we have seen even the most recalcitrant governors finally begin to acknowledge we are in the midst of a public health crisis and begin to take action. As infection rates continue to climb it is bad optics for the Tour to continue to barnstorm the country, taking Covid tests and other resources from the host communities. At what point does it become irresponsible? No wonder Monahan looks so hollowed-out these days.

Not only was this written in the midst of those positive tests, but Alan is on record as calling for the Tour to shut down as a result thereof.

Don't you just love that bit about politics compelling the end of the lockdowns?  Because once you start allowing folks out of their houses, where does this madness end?  Perhaps, Alan, you might want to consider the fact that folks aren't just tired?  Perhaps they're come to realize what a massive blunder the locksowns were.  Or maybe, they've woken to the fact that your scare-mongering over positive tests isn't working, given that those testing positive are at no risk.  Just food for thought....

Hartford Haze - Did the Travelers strike you as an event of sufficient magnitude that we should still be raguing its nuances 48 hours after its conclusion.  Yeah, me neither, bot for reasons that remain obscure, Dylan Dethier felt compelled to assign letter grades to...well, things like this:

Dustin Johnson’s 72nd-hole tee shot: A+ 

I dunno what to tell you about Dustin Johnson. The guy can look lethargic and he can look withdrawn and he can go most of two years with just one win and yet when you see that name at the top of the leaderboard, it feels wholly inevitable. When Dustin Johnson wins, it feels like he should always be winning. 

Johnson started Sunday two shots back but quickly overtook Brendon Todd, and whenever he needed a prime tee shot to secure things, he delivered, first after pumping one O.B. at 13 and particularly clinging to a one-shot lead on No. 18, where he explored previously unseen territory 350-plus yards down the middle. Ridiculous. 

Interestingly, D.J. didn’t win the event with his driver — he was top five in the field in strokes gained approach and strokes gained putting but just 46th in strokes gained off the tee, which Justin Ray reported was the lowest number of any win in his career.

Fair enough.  Though if we're grading 72nd hole tee shots, I'd put Oakmont 2016 in a different league than this.  Because, yanno, actual significance...

And this:

Rory McIlroy, relatively speaking: C+ 

We’re grading on the Rory Scale here, which is wholly unfair — we’ll happily to admit

that. This week was decidedly better than McIlroy’s finishes at Colonial (Sunday 74 to finish T32) or RBC (T41) but when the best player in the world fires an opening round of 63, it’s hard not to get your hopes up for something better than a T11.

Don’t just take my word for it, though: Listen to the words used by the man himself. “Frustrating.” “Rollercoaster-ish.” “Dumb mistakes.” You’d never know the guy played some pretty nice golf this week.

The good news is that nothing seems truly amiss in McIlroy’s arsenal. It’ll be all systems go in RoryWorld when he returns at Muirfield Village.

Yes, I certainly had my hopes set higher, specifically for one of Rory's patented backdoor top tens.  But it just so happens I have this browser tab open from a couple of weeks back:

  World No. 1 Rory McIlroy not worried about Sundays

As I understand his thinking, Rory isn't worried about Sundays because he's rendering them irrelevant.  Best part are those sweet, early Sunday tee times.

Regrets, I've Had a Few -  On the Venn Diagram depicting sports and economics, your tour guide for those overlapping sections should be John Ourand at the Sports Business Journal.  Alas, his work is behind a paywall, so all we can do is plagiarize legally excerpt those sections used by Shackelford under the doctrine of fair use.  This on the timing should come as no surprise:

Two months ago, after the USGA decided to postpone the U.S. Open to September, Fox Sports execs Eric Shanks and Larry Jones reached out to Pete Bevacqua and Jon Miller

at NBC Sports to see if their network -- which owns Golf Channel -- would be willing to carry some of this year’s event. Fox’s fall schedule is jam-packed, and it saw NBC as a potential lifeline to help it carry and sell one of golf’s four majors. Early in the discussions, it became clear that NBC wanted a bigger piece of the USGA package, and Fox wanted out.

Duh!  The NFL draws millions, whereas gold draws...well, pretty much just us kids.  Of course, the NFL playing is not a sure thing...

For those of us that remember the shock of the Fox contract, this was always the case:

Golf never fit Fox: Fox gets a bad rap for its golf production. The network’s performance at last year’s U.S. Open in Pebble Beach was praised widely. But golf never fit into Fox’s plans. The Fox execs that originally cut this deal -- Chase Carey and Randy Freer -- left the company soon afterwards, and nobody was left to champion the sport. Fox never was close to adding to its golf portfolio; it wasn’t a serious contender for either British Open or PGA Tour rights, which should have been the first sign that it wanted to get out of the USGA deal.

Welcome to the club, as there were many of us making this point back in the day.  Some of us were a little outraged at the USGA seemingly prioritizing the big check over the quality of the actual broadcast.  

Joe Buck is a gracious man, though I mostly agree with his thoughts here:

I liked many of their innovations, and many members of their broadcast team.  Brad Faxon first and foremost, but Ken Brown and Gil Hanse as well.  Being the geek that I am, just the addition of an architect to the team was such a good move...

The thing I hated most was, alas, Joe Buck.  Not Joe in tot, but mostly his voice, which after years of calling football is unsurprisingly too strong for our little game.

But, as Geoff notes at that post linked above, it's quite the writedown.

Golf in the Kingdom (of Fife) - Jim McArthur, the Captain of the Crail Golfing Society, has been e-mailing an update to his membership every Friday that the bride and I have been enjoying greatly.  He covers business for sure, but also interleaves humor and club history in a way that has allowed us to feel connected to our overseas club, notwithstanding that we've yet to play our first round as actual members.

From Jim's most recent missive, comes this news of a loosening in restrictions governing golf in Scotland:

I am pleased to inform members of the following changes to the published conditions effective from Monday 29th June 2020: 

- Members will be able to introduce an additional guest enabling a member to play with two guests, in line with the restriction of three households mixing. Members may introduce up to eight guests in one week.

- In addition, members can now book and play on Craighead from 2pm each day in either three balls or in four balls (which include golfers from no more than 3 households).

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind members of the travel guidelines issued by Scottish Golf:

“The updated regulations state that a “drive of broadly 5 miles is considered to be local”. The travel advice is for an individual to apply good judgement and not for the golf club to determine or police”.

Loosened perhaps, but not loose in any recognizable manner.  The restriction on travel is something I've never understood, given the safety of one's own vehicle and that we're awash in cheap oil., though they're also anticipating that it will be further relaxed this coming Friday  But this continues to puzzle:

At present the Clubhouse, the driving range, the practice putting greens, short game practice area and all toilets remain closed.

No doubt Scots are heartier souls  than we pampered Americans, but I had been reliably informed that bathrooms are a right bestowed upon us by our Creator...

Jim also informs of a birthday this week:

Next Friday 3 July 2020 is the 125th anniversary to the day of the opening of Balcomie Links. We had intended this year to have members competition to celebrate the event but like many other fixtures has had to be cancelled. This is another significant milestone in the history of the Society the background to which is as follows:

On the 3rd July 1895, before several hundreds of spectators, Balcomie Links were declared open for golf, the first ball being struck by Professor Chiene, a descendant of one of the founders of the Society and the second ball by the Father of Golf - Old Tom Morris.

When the Society was instituted in 1786, all golf was played on the narrow strip of shoreland at the north east end of Crail. It was part of Sauchope Farm and neither the Crail Town Council nor Crail Golfing Society had any title to the land although the inhabitants of the Royal Burgh of Crail played golf there long before the formation of the Society. Indeed Chambers Gazeteer of Scotland published in 1832 mentioned the existence of a golf club in Crail in 1760. In the early days the Society played over 8 holes at Sauchope and in 1872 another club the “East Neuk of Fife Golf Club” was formed and they played over the same links. The clubs amalgamated in 1894 and retained the name of Crail Golfing Society. The combined club was not satisfied with Sauchope Links and a committee was formed to look at developing land at Balcomie Farm and it was agreed to take the opinion of Old Tom Morris, who reported that the Balcomie Links were “very suitable for a nine hole course and I am bound to say that there is not a better in Scotland.”

Including this wonderful old photo looking down at the links and the abandoned lifeboat, which remains.

This all hits just as I've finally faced reality and cancelled our house rental in Fife.  Time to start thinking about the summer of 2021...

News and Notes - The Villages has long been a source of humor for many of us, most notably because of this.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but there's everything wrong with every part of this story:

Did you ever dream you’d see a pro-Trump golf-cart parade full of angry old people battling other angry old people over a political candidate? The simulation is working overtime to provide us with all the evidence we need to wake up to the reality that we are living in some kind of dream state where jokes come true, everything is ridiculous, and battling grannies are the final stage before we all wake up in alien pods.

For some reason, the president thought this was fun and retweeted it and seemed not to realize one of the guys in the golf carts was shouting “white power,” either in an effort to annoy the protesters or because he believes it. Who knows? Still, neither side looks particularly good here. The grantifa granny in black is particularly foul, calling everyone a “f*cking Nazi,” which is ironic, since many of these people are old enough to have actually fought against actual Nazis. 

I find it hard to believe this actually happened. It’s like Twitter in real life. Is this performance art? A flashmob of idiocy? I can’t think of anything more ridiculous than senior citizens, who are supposed to be the wisest among us—the most seasoned, the most reasonable people of all—losing their minds like this. Apparently, we can’t count on anything anymore including the wisdom of our elders.

Grandtifa?  As the man says, are we done with 2020 yet?

Ski buddy Mitch Cohen sends this video of golfers protecting their turf.  It's most certainly NSFW, though we've pretty much done away with that "W", so it's all good:

Can't we all just get along?  Mind you, the punks had it coming, but I do love the old guy being able to outrun the young kid.

Future Shock - As you might have noticed, the mob has come for Lincoln and Washington in the last couple of weeks.  Also for Roosevelt, though frustratingly the wrong Roosevelt.... Yanno, not the one who interned Japanese citizens and refused to use the U.S. military to impede the holocaust.

But this is a golf blog, so where are their sights set in our game?  Ground zero, of course:

If you haven’t noticed, this country is changing by the day.

The racist names and symbols are going by the wayside quicker than you can keep up.

Statues of Confederate officers and slave owners have been toppled, not just here, but all over the world. No one’s horrible legacy is safe during the current movement against police brutality and systemic racists after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white cop in Minneapolis. 

People of all colors have taken to the streets demanding change from the powers that be, and, in some cases, made a change themselves. 

Recently, NASCAR did the unthinkable, banning the Confederate flag from its events. After all, that move is a direct slap in the face of the sport’s paying customers. It wasn’t an easy decision. It was simply the right choice.

This sounds great, where do I sign up?  Of course, the writer elides that not all the statues toppled fit this limited profile, as well as the other obvious issues of whether said mobs are reflective of the will of the people or just the more thuggish elements.

But here's their primary target in the golf world:

There’s a bigger one in the room that needs to be addressed, changed and removed.

The name “The Masters” must go. 

The heralded golf tournament, one of the four majors, needs to go back to its original name — the Augusta National Invitational. It became the Masters in 1939. 

Tiger Woods, other big-time golfers and corporate sponsorships should demand it. In the current climate, with all the sweeping changes, it’s only right and just. Best of all, in this case, it’s a simple and smooth fix. 

The Masters never felt good or even sounded good when you said it. 

And before we hear from the choir about tradition and history, save it.

Don't you love that last bit?  No dissenting opinions will be tolerated...  Who does he think he is?  A college professor? 

But maybe the best bit is his telling Tiger what he should think and do.  I know how Tiger has always loved that...  As for that "current climate"?  Most of us are hoping this will pass quickly, because if it doesn't, we'll not have much of a country left.

There is irony in the fact that the man that held out against the use of The Masters for this event was Bobby Jones, a southern patrician if there ever was one.  Jones' reasoning was quite different, he just thought the term "master" was too pretentious.

Alan Scat - Just a couple of bit from that mailbag referenced above.  Not his best week of work, but we can use some trifles to distract from the grim nature of the current news cycle:

What’s up with no Tiger? —@CodyColorado 

He’s playing the long game. If the show goes on, there’s a ton of important golf from early-August to mid-November so Tiger wants to make sure his body holds up. Beyond that, I think he is wisely sitting back and letting the Tour work out all the kinks in learning how to conduct tournaments in the Covid era. Tiger has always existed in a bubble of his own making and all the new rules and protocols are highly disruptive for such a persnickety personality. Why deal with all the hassles when he can chill at home with his kids and dogs and work on his game in his wondrous backyard?

Tiger not playing where Tiger never plays is a dog bites man story.  The only remaining curiosity was that Hilton Head Fake...

 I had actually forgotten that he was asked this as well:

Should the Masters change its name back to the Augusta National Invitational Tournament? #askalan —@GolfingBrock 

In the wake of all the recent social justice protests there has been a lot of talk about listening to and learning from perspectives that differ from your own. It never occurred to me that the Masters name is offensive to some people but now that it’s been pointed out I can certainly understand it, especially since Augusta National feels like the reproduction of an Old South plantation that has been airlifted in from Epcot Center. It would be a gesture of incredible sensitivity and inclusion for the green jackets to acknowledge the pain attached to the name of their tournament and go back to the original wording. It’s worth noting that Bobby Jones was never a fan of renaming his little invitational — he was embarrassed by the ostentatiousness of “Masters” and knew it wasn’t even accurate, since no one ever really masters golf.

Yeah, I'm about ready to see someone stand up to the mob.  Pretty clear it won't be Alan, so why not the poobahs at ANGC.  But anyone feeling pain from the name of a golf tournament has bigger problems to deal with for sure.

Is it time to give Webb Simpson his due?! Stacked field and he came out firing on the back 9 in the final round — might be a big rest of the year for him. #AskAlan —@EdNolan220 

For a long time Webb was the most underrated player in golf. Suddenly, he’s becoming overrated! The truth is that from 150 yards in he’s the most efficient and reliable player in the game. Obviously he doesn’t have the same firepower off the tee as other top players but the rest of Webb’s game has become so good, he’s now a threat every time he tees it up.

You're had an epiphany about a guy that's won a U.S. Open and a Players, as a result of a win in Hilton Head?  But isn't his due really, well, due him as a result of coming back from the ban on anchored putting?  

Was there ever any consideration to playing Tour events at elite courses that unfortunately won’t work for tour events? Bandon Dunes/Cabot Links to name a few in North America? —@KeithKhorton 

No, since the schedule was already locked in, including the venues. But if the Tour has to pause again it might be time to reimagine its business model in the short-term. Instead of traveling every week, why not post up at Bandon for five straight weeks and play an event on each of the excellent courses there? Then come to the 831 and play another five-week bender at Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Spyglass Hill, Bayonet and Pasatiempo? Pinehurst, Long Island, Northern Michigan … the Tour could construct an incredible schedule while largely eliminating air travel.

Funny how folks keep mentioning Bandon, but those courses are so short that scoring would have been even crazier than we saw at Colonial and Hartford.

Bryson put on the weight/muscle first and foremost because of the Brooks Confrontation, right? It’s a bonus it seems to also have helped his game. Brooks was the favorite before, but wouldn’t you take Bryson now? #askalan —@mjcostel27 

I’ve thought about this, too! That was certainly an emasculating moment for Bryson, and I have no doubt that helped send him to the gym. Don’t forget, it was vanity that compelled Tiger to bulk up, too. Bryson has overdone it, as is his wont, and is now reaping the on-course benefits. The question becomes when will his body start breaking down, as happened to Tiger.

Funny, though I do agree with Alan's caveat...

Harbor Town Golf Links is a beautiful, iconic and memorable design but past its prime for today’s players and equipment. Agree? #AskAlan

—@GoranBarnes 

Every course on the planet has been rendered obsolete by modern distance gains. To offer any challenge at all requires an extreme, over-the-top setup and/or good luck with the weather, bringing steady winds and allowing for brick-hard greens. A few years ago I started saying that to test modern Tour pros a course needed to be 9,000-10,000 yards. People thought I was crazy but that’s now looking like a conservative estimate.

Firmandfast seems to be the only way to hold them back, and it's helpful if there's a wind as well.  Otherwise, yardage seems almost irrelevant...

#askAlan, What was the name of Joaquin Niemann’s punk/ska band in high school? (I mean just look at him. You just know he was in a punk band…) —@Laz_Versalles 

Hosel Rocket.

That was a potential name for this blog back in the day... 

Why is it so bad that a PGA Tour players uses profanity? It’s just a word. —@TheGhostOfHogan 

Part of the joy of The Last Dance was all the profanity — it was like listening to great jazz musicians jamming together. It’s always a delight when the boom mics capture Tour players cursing; it’s real, raw, relatable and offers a little insight to who they really are. In the age of rap music and the Internet, even kids are awash in profanity. (My sweet, innocent 13-year-old daughter can spit all the R-rated rhymes of Playboi Carti and Ski Mask the Slump God.) It’s time for the Tour and the networks to give the people what they want: more F-bombs.

Seems like CBS has been ahead of the curve on that...

I agree with all that both said, the issue becomes the kids.  Personally, I'm not offended and very much like the unscripted moments, and I also like to watch to see whether, like Tiger, they are able to get themselves back into game mode before reaching their ball.

But we also have to acknowledge that we want parents to bring their children to tournaments and watch golf on TV with their children, and I don't see how we square this circle.  

I shall leave you here and we'll spend some time together later this week.

Weekend Wrap

We've lots to cover, so no time for pleasantries.

DJ By a Nose - I had a sense that Sunday in Hartford might differ from the three days that preceded it.  It just seems recurring motif, that guys shoot lights out up until that moment that they realize they could win the damn thing.  Then they do their best imitation of your humble blogger straining to get an 85 to the clubhouse...

One thing we can note with certainty is that DJ looks healthy... And it's that contrast that makes us realize that he wasn't right when we saw him during the winter:

Johnson rode renewed greatness on the greens to a one-shot victory over Kevin Streelman on Sunday. Johnson hadn’t won since last year’s World Golf Championships-

Mexico Championship, but Sunday’s win gives him a victory every year since he turned pro in 2008, his 21st overall.

“It’s very exciting to get my 21st win and then get my first win of the season,” Johnson said. “It was big because I hadn’t played very well. But I put in a lot of good work the last couple weeks after Colonial, and so it’s nice to see the game just start coming around.”

The CBS crew seemed to have little else to discuss but the difference between face-balanced and toe-hang putters.  But every time they gave us the ground level view, DJ rolled it perfectly and they were all center cut.

He did also get the kind of break one gets when it's meant to be:

But in about 10 minutes, all on one hole, Johnson’s lead dropped to one. Streelman birdied the 13th to get within two shots, then Johnson hooked his tee shot on the 13th out of bounds on his way to a bogey. In about 15 minutes, he gained the shot back. He found the fairway on the par-4 14th, knocked his approach to within about 16 feet and dropped the putt. Thank you, new putter. 

On the 294-yard, par-4 15th, Johnson tried to finesse his tee shot near the green, only to have it sail toward water on the left. It miraculously plugged in the muddy downslope. Johnson pulled up his pants and took off his socks and shoes to stand in the water to hit it out, and he was within about 4 feet after two shots. He sunk it. Thank you again, new putter.

Johnson wasn't the only guy to have a ball hang on that bank unexpectedly...  I happened to catch Wesley Bryan receiving the same good fortune on Thursday, when he was wearing a mic.  Of course, Bryan is a noted trick shot artist, so we expect it from him.

The Tour Confidential panel has a strange take on DJ's win.  OK, the most notable aspect of this week's confab is the absence of a Tiger question...  I've marked my calendar accordingly.  But they posed a question that...well, see what you think of it:

2. Sunday’s final pairing at the Travelers was a contrast in styles — the straighter, shorter and arguably more tactical style of Brendon Todd (who averages 280 yards in driving distance) vs. the grip-it-and-rip-it approach of Dustin Johnson (306 yards). In the end, DJ came out on top. As a golf fan watching from home, which style of golf is more compelling to watch?

I'm pretty sure that "Brendon Todd" and the word "compelling" have never been used in the same sentence.  I think Todd is a great little story, coming back from driver yips to becomes a solid player with multiple wins is good stuff for sure.  But compelling?  You see the issue...

Let's see if anyone thinks otherwise:

Zak: DJ is more compelling, and it’s not close. Did you see that drive he hit on 18? Every shot is intriguing, as you saw with him down the stretch. Todd’s tee shots largely felt inconsequential. That’s no fault of his own, but you asked the question about compelling. DJ is the answer.

Sens: Agreed. On top of his power, DJ also has a well-documented capacity for little brain cramps — such as his OB on the short par-5 down the stretch today — that make for good rollicking entertainment.

Piastowski: Watching BOMBS is always more fun to watch. Baseball built a whole campaign around the long ball, and golf seems to be promoting it, too. But, man, Todd’s rhythmic swing was mesmerizing sometimes, too.

Bamberger: DJ’s swing is so purely athletic. As was Nicklaus’ and Arnold’s and Hogan’s. DJ, of course. But that doesn’t mean the ball doesn’t go too far because it does.

Dethier: The contrast is what’s important. The little guy vs. the big guy. DJ’s game is only impressive because Brendon Todd exists, too. Watching Webb Simpson sac-bunt his way to victory last week was incredible. It’s all relative, which means not every driver can be above average.

 Props to Dylan for finding something interesting in that question, because of course it's the yin and yang that makes it intriguing.  But the question also misinterprets the enigma that is DJ.  For sure he's a bomber, but he's also an incredibly straight driver of the golf ball for a guy that sens it with such malice and aforethought.  But this item comes far closer to that which makes DJ must see TV:

Is there ever a dull moment with Dustin Johnson?

The answer is an unequivocal NO. How have we not learned our lesson with this guy yet?

I made this analogy on Twitter, but it was so good (I got eight WHOLE likes) that I had

to bring it here—Dustin Johnson is the guy who is beating you 28-7 in the fourth quarter of a game of Madden, but rather than step on your neck, he “makes things interesting” by letting you score a few times. Sometimes that works out and you still win 28-21. Other times you ground your club in a bunker and cost yourself a major. It’s dangerous business, as Johnson proved on the back nine. Each time he had a chance to run away with this thing, he immediately made a mistake—an OB tee shot at the par-5 13th, flirting with the water on 15, a bogey on the par-3 16th, just to name a few. He just refuses to win easily.

The thing is, DJ was beginning to get used to the win-it-easy life. His last four victories on the PGA Tour were by at least three strokes, and one of those was his epic walk-off eagle at the 2018 FedEx St. Jude Classic. But on Sunday at TPC River Highlands, he reverted to his old, hold-your-breath and chomp-on-your-fingernails form, ultimately claiming another title. Would he rather win by five? Sure, but that’d be a lot less fun to watch.

That sequence was peak-DJ.  Todd triples the 12th to give Dustin a good sized lead, and our hero immediately launches that drive OB.  But in a plot twist none saw coming, it's OB by millimeters....

Shall we spend a moment on other players?  How about that 36-hole leader?

Phil Mickelson had a quiet weekend

Following rounds of 64 and 63, 50-year-old Phil Mickelson was the solo leader of the Travelers Championship. After Friday’s round, I wondered if he could keep it together

all four days, something he struggles to do as he gets older at places not named Pebble Beach. I’m sad to report that my concerns were legitimate, as Lefty went 71-71 on the weekend to drop into a tie for 24th.

You’ll never believe this, but his driver failed him on Saturday and Sunday. After gaining strokes off the tee in each of the first two rounds, he lost 0.235 on Saturday and then lost 3.042 on Sunday, when he hit just five fairways. Someone who has never watched golf in their life could tell you that ain’t gonna get it done. Like many of you, I love it when Phil is in the mix and hope he continues to be as long as he wants, but it’s hard to get excited about the 63s and 64s when you know the one-over 71 is lurking right around the corner.

 Quiet?  Bad?  Whatever...

But the biggest howler is imputing shock in the reader that Phil drove it poorly.  That's what we in the trade refer to as a dog-bites-man story.

Of course, Phil being Phil, he's doing the relentless optimism thing:

Phil Mickelson fades, but insists Travelers Championship 'start of something special'

To which I'll respond with relentless objectivity:  We'll see about that...

Here Tour Confidential gang did far better in framing their question:

6. Phil Mickelson, 50 years young and still hitting bombs, made a run at the Travelers before fading late to finish tied for 24th. We’re setting the over-under for the number of PGA Tour wins Mickelson still has in his tank at 1.5. What side of that bet would you take?

The answers are perfectly fine:

Zak: I’ll take the under, which makes me sad! I’d love Mickelson to nab a bunch of wins 

in his 50s, but I think you learned something from those rounds this week. At his best, Mickelson has the fire power to win. But does he have the game to do it four times in four days? He didn’t this weekend and that just feels like much more to ask of New Phil than Old Phil.

Sens: I’ll take the under too, though it doesn’t make me the least bit sad. He’s had a nice long run (understatement of the day). Winning’s hard. And we will still see plenty of compelling moments from the 50-plus Phil whether he nabs another title or two or not.

But this one stood out:

Piastowski: Over. Mickelson has embraced some of the science behind longevity. Football, baseball and basketball players have done the same, and those sports have seen extended excellence from some of its stars, so why not golf? Phil has also been crafty throughout his career, and I could see him making the necessary adjustments, maybe focusing on accuracy over distance (fewer bombs?!?), much like a pitcher who loses a bit on the fastball and must work on location.

Accuracy?  I'm gonna go with no, final answer:

Phil Mickelson files trademark for 'Hit Bombs'; will clothing line follow?

Also, put me down for "Not Sad".

 But happy that things worked out for this guy:

What a Sunday for Will Gordon

After Will Gordon shot a third-round 71, I doubt anyone expected the unknown 23-year-old to bounce back the way he did on Sunday. But the 2019 SEC player of the year at Vanderbilt did more than just bounce back, shooting a six-under 64 that jumped him into a tie for third place, which earned him special temporary status on the PGA Tour after entering the week with no status on any tour. And Gordon birdied the 18th hole in order to get it. Talk about clutch. There’s only one winner every week on tour, but stories like Gordon’s show you can still win big without actually raising the trophy.

It was a double bounce-back.  He recovered from both a poor Saturday and a dispiriting bogey on No. 17, so good on him.  He started the week with no status anywhere (he got in on a sponsor's exemption), but ended it with status on the big-boy tour.  Well played.

Golf in the Time of Corona - Hartford Edition -  Before we dive in, there was one late-breaking piece of news:

Dylan Frittelli tested positive for Covid-19 during the PGA Tour’s pre-charter testing

process and has withdrawn from next week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. 

Frittelli missed the cut at the Travelers and had planned to travel to Detroit Golf Club via the Tour’s jet. According to a release, the PGA Tour has been in contact with those close to Frittelli and “after conducting necessary contact tracing, the Tour’s medical advisors are not recommending any additional testing at this time.” 

Frittelli played the first two rounds of the Travelers with J.T. Poston and Ian Poulter. He was T8 at the RBC Heritage last week and missed the cut at the Tour’s return at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

With Poults?  Win-win, baby!

Nick Pietruszkiewicz of ESPN summarizes the Tour's handling of an eventful week, including this handy summary:

However, this week:

• There were positive tests, of players and caddies.

• There was the sudden arrival of the PGA Tour commissioner and the possibility of another shutdown.

• There was one major champion leaving and one playing a round all by himself.

So yes, the stark reality of all this was evident all across the property, every day of the week.

Yes, it certainly was.  As we've seen with the reaction to the virus writ large, certain media types seem immune to nuance, rather conveying the simple message that we're all gonna die.  Alas, playing the role of Chris "Freedo" Cuomo in the golf context is our friend Geoff Shackelford, whose head will seemingly explode at the next positive test.

But what of those positive tests?  Geoff himself informs us of this:

Also, the first player to test positive on the PGA Tour, Nick Watney is feeling ok and tells GolfDigest.com’s Tod Leonard how he awoke last Friday to Whoop readings that made him realize he had a problem.

OK, just to be clear... Nick Watney: Not Dead.

Also not dead:

Cameron Champ is an example of how difficult testing really is amid the PGA Tour’s attempt to play through the coronavirus pandemic. 

Champ announced Saturday afternoon that he has tested negative three times for COVID-19 since a positive test on Tuesday forced him to withdraw from this week’s Travelers Championship. 

It raises questions as to whether Champ is a victim of a false positive test result. The CDC reports that false positive tests are rare but possible, depending on the type of test.

That last bit os quite the howler.   Good to know that the organization that sent out testing kits infected with the disease acknowledges the remote possibility of false positives.  Don't ever change, CDC!

And that spike in cases behind Shack's panic?

As the pandemic panic porn continues because identified cases are rising, Dr. Fauci is back on television, and the media is once again demanding a national response. However, there is news they don’t share with you that could help reduce the already unwarranted levels of fear. Obviously, that doesn’t fit their partisan agenda.

A doctor from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said in a press conference Wednesday that people who are testing positive do not appear to be getting as sick as they did earlier in the pandemic. Dr. Donald Yealy also noted this trend was being seen in the wake of massive protests.

He suggested the country is focusing too much on rising COVID-19 case counts.

“We need to change our mindset and focus not exclusively on the number of cases, but on the severity of illness. We shouldn’t just be counting those who have a diagnosed infection,” Yealy said. “For the vast majority of people testing positive, their illness is mild, or they don’t even know they have any symptoms of COVID-19 infection.”

I'm sorry, but I had been reliably informed that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia,,,

Panic porn is good, but I'm thinking pandemic porn is even better.  

Geoff's gnashing of teeth is here, and he does acknowledge a bit of good news:

The good news? 

A tournament concluded with Dustin Johnson winning in an entertaining final round,

albeit with a weather delay that was forecast. Tee times were, once again, inexplicably not moved up for both safety and avoidance-delay reasons.

Masks were seen on players in post-round interviews, on one caddie in the network TV window (for Brendon Todd) and on some members of the PGA Tour rules staff when interacting with players. The putting green was no longer a crowded gathering place.

The CBS crew has done a remarkable job presenting the events with limited crews and major constraints.

Thanks for that, Karen.

To me, Shack's mask-fetish is the perfect synechdoche of this moment.   It is virtue signalling at its purest, an art form on the left these days.  

But wait, Geoff has some bad news for us as well:

The bad news?

Testing reliability by Sanford Health is now in question with Cameron Champ looking like a false-positive situation. Earlier in the week, Brooks Koepka caddy Ricky Elliott reported negative tests after his positive that trimmed the world no. 2 and his brother from the Travelers field. 

CBS has done a remarkable job with a small crew—beancounters don’t event think this is sustainable.

And somehow, the virus has become an opportunity for the PGA Tour to move Whoop product.

Here is the statement on Dylan Fritelli’s positive test, with the quote as boilerplate as it gets, particularly if you’ve ever heard the charismatic South African speak.

Apparently Geoff will only be happy when the Tour shuts down over...false positives.  

Before we leave, the TC panel had a Q&A on this, and there was a few interesting bits contained within:

1. The PGA Tour’s third tournament after its three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus saw a flurry of withdrawals due to the virus. Cameron Champ and Denny McCarthy tested positive and withdrew; Brooks Koepka and Graeme

McDowell both withdrew after their caddies tested positive; Chase Koepka, the younger brother of Brooks Koepka who had to Monday-qualify to get in the field, also withdrew as a precautionary measure; and Webb Simpson withdrew after a member of his family tested positive. Then, on Sunday night, Dylan Frittelli tested positive. On Wednesday, Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced stricter safety measures, then modified the Tour’s protocols again on Saturday. As other sports prepare to return to their own competitive spheres, what learnings can and should they take away from the first three weeks of the Tour’s return?

Sean Zak: One, bubbles don’t exist. These leagues will operate with something that more closely resembles nets, not bubbles. Another learning is that, optically, enforcement of the rules is on the league and its inhabitants. Jay Monahan was fist-bumping Tour players despite the Tour saying for weeks that type of contact was prohibited. The Tour has done a phenomenal job of setting up a very controlled space, but in order for it to be fully controlled, everyone within it needs to follow protocol and hold each other to those protocols, too. Things as easy as eating in your hotel room, it seems.

Josh Sens: That a ‘bubble’ is only as protective as its weakest point. If not everyone is abiding by the protocols, it’s like having a peeing section in a pool. Also, as Sean points out, that individual choices matter. And that old habits die hard. On the 17th today, as DJ was putting, his brother/caddie sidled right up alongside Brendon Todd’s caddie, who sidestepped away slightly. Only to have Austin cozy up to him again. Not a malicious move by any stretch. Just a reminder of how easy it is to slip back into old ways when new ones are called for. And lastly, that it’s hard to test too much.

This is the predictable result of the stupidity of our public health establishment, combined with the pandemic porn the media has been shoveling at us.  First, that egregious behavior from Austin Johnson comes with effectively zero possibility of transmission, given the briefness and outdoor location.  So, why are we continuing to focus on face masks in outdoor locations?

Secondly, this is a young and healthy population, in which the effects of catching range from an inconvenience to a nothingburger...  Again, a little focus on that which is actually important would be nice at this late date.

But this from Mike Bamberger seems right:

Michael Bamberger: The more testing the Tour does, the more positive tests it will get, at least for a while. And that’s OK, to a point. There is a tipping point. I don’t know what it is. The Tour has to be figuring out what it is. I don’t see having fans at the Memorial.

That first bit is true enough, though I'd focus elsewhere.  To me the relevant fact is that, while players and others are arriving on site carrying the virus, there is no evidence that the Tour's events have caused any spreading of it.  

But I do very much suspect that those fans at The Memorial will never get inside the gates.  It's one thing to assume the risk for yourself, especially given the demographics inside the bubble.  But to expose golf's notably older fan base to it seems not worth the risk.

Best of all, the reward for navigating this difficult gauntlet is....a trip to Detroit.  One can only assume that second prize was two weeks there....

The Fox and the Peacock - Actual news, as we shan't have Joe Buck to kick around any longer:

Just when we all started getting used to watching the U.S. Open on Fox Sports, the USGA’s marquee championship looks like it’s about to move to a new broadcast home.

Or should we say move back to an old home.

The Associated Press reported on Sunday night that the U.S. Open will return to NBC beginning with this year’s championship at Winged Foot, scheduled for Sept. 17-20 after being postponed from its original June dates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report stated that the move, which is expected to be announced formally on Monday, is a response to Fox Sports asking out of its current contract with the USGA, which runs seven more years through 2026.

NBC had broadcast the U.S. Open and other USGA championships from 1995 to 2014 before the USGA surprised many by signing a 12-year deal with Fox, which had not previously broadcast any PGA Tour events. Golf Digest reporting determined the deal came with a $1.1 billion price tag, $93 million a year.

One source told the AP that NBC would pick up the final seven years of the contract at roughly half the rights fee.

A Circle of Life moment for me, as I started this blog in 2014, when the Fox contract was a major story.  It was a disaster from day one, as that photo above will remind, though Fox can't be blamed for Chambers Bay.  But I very much agree with this:

I think they made great progress, and I'd prefer them to CBS without any hesitation.  Of course that photo above remind sof their signature moment, when DJ tragically 3-jacked the final green to hand the U.S. Open to Jordan Spieth.  Greg Norman, the man whose signature move involved tragically coughing up majors and was put in the booth presumably for just such a moment, had nothing to add.

You'll be shocked to know that, as always seems to be the case when discussing golf TV rights, it's all about the NFL:

The greater issue may have been a combination of economics, scheduling and the pending NFL rights deal. As Ferguson’s story notes, this fall’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot—if it goes forward—was going to be largely buried on Fox Sports 1, the cable network that motivated Fox’s excessive spend in the first place.

Shack sums up the news thusly, including revisiting the circumstances that led to the award of the rights to Fox:

Monday’s announcement following Sunday night’s orchestrated rollout to media should shed light on where other USGA events and early round coverage will land. We might also learn more about what precisely prompted the parties involved to work out the deal now. But if Ferguson and Flint are correct, FOX will be paying a significant amount of money annually to not televise USGA events.

Ultimately, however, the deal is a monster failure that should haunt the careers of Sarah Hirshland (now head of the U.S. Olympic Committee) and then-USGA president Glen Nager (since seen suing the United States). I’d probably include former USGA President Tom O’Toole in there too while we’re throwing monster point-missers under the bus.

For some background on the deal when it went down, I’d point you to the late, great Frank Hannigan’s Letter to this website back in September, 2013, which considers the issues involved in a USGA television negotiation.

That Frank Hannigan note is interesting indeed.  Though to me the bible on this stunning transaction was this Ron Sirak Golf Digest piece, which reminds us that the Fox gambit was driven largely by the USGA's coveting of Masters ratings.   Now, how smart does one need to be to understand the unique factors, including date and a familiar and exciting golf course, that make The Masters a glorious one-off?  That those running our major governing body can't understand such nuance is a little troubling, though these are the same guys that think we can never attract millennials to our game if they're require to absorb complicated terminology such as....well, all square?

But perhaps nothing captures this moment as well as revisiting the graphic that originally accompanied that Sirak piece:

Upon further review, I'm thinking that the Peacock got the better of this transaction.  

In Praise of Short Par-3's - I've meant to dive deeper on this subject, which I've touched on briefly in the context of links courses.  Notwithstanding those two new holes at Portrush last summer, it's not often that we have brand new golf holes on Open Rota courses:

Speaking of Hoylake, I played their new par-three hole last week, which will be the 17th on the card when the Open does return.

Leaving aside the two new holes showcased when Portrush returned to the rota last year, this will be the first time we've seen a brand new hole on one of the established Open courses in recent memory. 

It's good to report, therefore, it's a beauty, with dramatic views over to Hilbre Island, and quite a talking point too in these days of ever-longer courses, given it measures under 130 yards.

It looks suitably spectacular:

I love these shorties...  The combination of wind and firm conditions makes distance control quite the challenge, notwithstanding the length.  The other issue with Hoylake is when we'll see this new hole.  It was originally slotted for 2022, but would be pushed back at least a year based upon no Open this year.  Troon was awarded the '23 Open to coincide with their centenary, wants to hold that date and push Liverpool to 2024.

Amusing, given the length of this new hole, this is Royal Liverpool's club motto:  

Not so much of the former, but the latter remains operative.

Shack, sticking to that which he knows best, has news of another newly-restored short Par-3 at a very different type of venue:

I thoroughly enjoyed this fourteen-minute Oak Hill restoration video and narrated by Rich Lerner. It gets downright emotional at a point when almost all of Donald Ross’s original Postage Stamp 15th is restored.

Bradley Klein kindly called the asinine Fazio-addition “ridiculous” in previewing the 2013 PGA, and if you feel confident in your digestion system, you should get one last look at it in that story. It really is one of the great architectural acts of vandalism. 

Mericfully, the club and architect Andrew Green have brought back the original, minus the right bunker included in Ross’ original plan. The finished product looks like it’ll (re)join the list of tournament golf’s iconic short par-3s when the club hosts the 2023 PGA Championship and, as announced last week, the 2027 U.S. Amateur.

That video is here, though I'll confess that I haven't watched it yet:

But that Bradley Klein item is good fun, especially when combined with Geoff going medieval on Fazio.  Some things just never get old...

First, here's Klein's take on that Fazio 15th:

Hole No. 15, Par 3, 181 yards 

From the sublime to the ridiculous. Here’s a downhill par-3 with a newly redesigned green that snakes along a pond on the right. The shirt-waist thin green is narrowest in the middle, and offers up two bunkers pinching into the green that cannot be seen from the tee. In an effort to drum up populist appeal the PGA of America is running a “pick-the-hole location” contest whereby fans at home can decide which of four pre-selected hole locations will be used Sunday.

The only thing missing is the waterfall... But this hole aside, Klein briefly sums up the serial desecration the Oak Hill Greens Committee allowed:

This is the third PGA Championship held at venerable old Oak Hill East, a 1924 design by Donald Ross. His telltale smallish greens remain, as does most of his routing. In 1955, Robert Trent Jones Sr. tossed out most of Ross’ characteristic fairway bunkering that intruded diagonally across the line of play and replaced it with hazards left and right. In 1978, George and Tom Fazio introduced their flouncy style of capes and bays bunkers. They also decided that with Allens Creek running only modestly through the property alongside five fairways, the layout needed more pizzazz, so they created three new greens that sat flush upon water. 

The club spent the next 35 years fixing those awkwardly overdone greens, most recently by Tom Fazio in time for this year’s championship.

Blessed with a Donald Ross classic, they just couldn't leave well enough alone, could they?  And it's even worse than that, because they couldn't just pick one horse to ruin it.  No, they needed both Trent Jones and the Fazios, justifying their own dedicated ring of hell.

I shall release you here to the rigors of your work week.  I would expect to see you again tomorrow, though I've golf planned for both Wednesday and Thursday.

Your Friday Frisson

Shall we check in on the Tour and see how that cross-ventilated bubble is holding up?  But, maybe we'll focus on the golf first.

Dateline: Cromwell, CT - Dave Dusek with the relevant question:

How low can they go? Players score early, often in Travelers Championship first round

CROMWELL, Conn. — Boxers often spend the first round or two of a prizefight trying to size up their opponent, probing for weaknesses. Tennis players do the same thing, seeing how their opponent will react to certain shots. 

Thursday morning at TPC River Highlands, there was no need to use a fancy strategy or get overly cerebral about playing the 6,841-yard course. Four years ago, Jim Furyk shot the PGA Tour’s only 58 here, and with soft conditions and no wind, attacking flags was the obvious way to go. 

And that’s precisely what 29-year-old Canadian Mackenzie Hughes did, starting on the 14th hole (his fifth). After rolling in a 15-foot birdie putt to move to 2 under, Hughes made four consecutive birdies to make the turn in 29 strokes.

I have found in my extensive study of the modern professional game that 29's rarely hurt a player...  This assessment sounds non-controversial:

It was undoubtedly the quietest chase for a 59 in PGA Tour history with no spectators on the grounds at TPC River Highlands.

But as good as the day was, he's got to be kicking hi,self for this rookie mistake:

It wasn’t to be. Hughes pulled his drive into the left rough, could only get his wedge approach to 40 feet, then left the putt for glory a good four feet short. It wasn’t exactly a putt you’re thinking about making, but leaving a putt for 59 short cannot leave a good taste in one’s mouth.

I hate when that happens.  It's actually not so much that he left it short, but rather how short he left it.  

Chase pack?  Oh yeah, we got one of those:

The scoring in the first two events since the PGA Tour’s restart has been nothing short of 

sensational. Last week at the Heritage, 51 players finished the week 10 under or better, and there were six rounds of 63 on Saturday alone. It’s looking like another shootout is in the cards this week—the forecast is good, the greens are pure, and the rough isn’t as gnarly as it has been in the past.

Rory McIlroy opened with a seven-under 63 despite making only 65 feet of putts on the day. Viktor Hovland matched him with a 63 of his own, the lowest round of his young PGA Tour career. Xander Schauffele putted the lights out en route to a 63 of his own. Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Louis Oosthuizen are a shot further back at six-under 64, and Bryson DeChambeau is part of a group at five under.

That was Phil's first round as an official round-belly, so it appears to be true that age is just a number.  Until, you know, it isn't...

As a network devoted to sports, you might have thought that ESPN would be now have acclimated itself to the new reality.  But no, this strikes them as news:

Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau put on a show in silence

Where were they last week, when Rory was sucking in silence?  There's a common thread here guys, let's see if you can find it.

But the biggest news is that the Tour got that which it needed most, a 24-hour period in which nothing bad happened.  Because no matter how convinced one is that certain events are just statistical noise, eventually the noise will drown out everything else.  Especially with Karen Shackelford and Karen Shipnuck screaming that we're all gonna die....

Brian Wacker has a thumbsucker of a piece up at Golf Digest, his header being the first clue to his...well, cluelessness:

The PGA Tour continues to balance the risks of positive cases. But which risks exactly?

I just find it a shame that so many straw men have to be sacrificed:

“It’s a myth,” Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said of the possibility of an operational bubble that zig-zags across the country, with hundreds upon hundreds drifting in and out of its path every week. “Even in health care, there’s no way we can operate at zero risk. You have to take steps to mitigate and lower risk, but with this virus you can’t put in place anything other than saying everyone has to stay at home inside their house.

“It’s impossible to operate inside a bubble. It’s not real life.”

OK, except for the niggling detail that nobody ever argued that there was zero risk... i know that safetyism is all the rage among today's kids, but that doesn't mean that the rest of us have to buy into this crap.

But get a load of this:

That the Tour, though exhaustive in its efforts, would be exempt from reality is of course as much a fantasy as a J.K. Rowling novel, something it seems acutely aware of. Yes, officials knew there would be positive tests, which is why it made several suggestions

within its protocols to mitigate the risk.

“We feel like we put ourselves in a position where we can have a controlled environment or a controlled number of cases or positive cases going forward,” Commissioner Jay Monahan said on Wednesday.

What’s become apparent is there’s very little that the Tour can truly control. Its guidelines are merely that, and as such not enforceable. Even if in use, in order to be effective, everyone—players, caddies, coaches, trainers, equipment reps, wives, girlfriends, nannies, chefs, et al.—would need to abide. Total adherence is difficult if not impossible given human nature. Even the commissioner conceded as much.

Sheesh!  First and foremost, Brian, you should expect a call from the woke mob.  That author you cite had been deemed a non-person for the crime of suggesting the Oceania might not have always been at war with Eastasia... Please adjust your style book accordingly.

Again, the basis on which the Tour has failed eludes me.  Wacker says they can't control anything, yet what I see is that they caught those that arrived carrying the virus, and there's no evidence of transmission within the bubble.  I know, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but still....  

What else you got, Brian:

Though McDowell, both Koepkas and Simpson have since tested negative, it doesn’t take an infectious disease expert to connect the dots on the possibility of spread. We asked one anyway. “When someone is infected and around someone who is susceptible to the virus, the rate of transmitting is in the range of two to three additional people,” Dr. Binnicker said.

Never mind that many players and caddies, and those in the various “bubbles” also live in Arizona, Florida and Texas, all currently viral hot zones. Cameron Champ, who withdrew from the Travelers on Monday, tested negative at Colonial three weeks ago, went home to Houston for a week, flew privately by himself to Connecticut and tested positive when he got there.

Really, anyone care to discuss recent events that might have triggered this surge in cases.  Anyone?  

I'm still waiting for that explanation of the science by which the virus knows not to infect anyone on the barricades promoting the revolution.... 

Guess what, guys?  When they're not playing, the guys are gonna be home with their families, and then traveling to the next venue.  There's obvious risk, but the Cam Champ example to me is one where the system worked.  

Maybe the funniest part of Wacker's piece is that he actually recognizes the inherent safety in out door areas, which is where they spend the bulk of their time.  But think about the freak-out after Nick Watney's positive test...  Folks were beside themselves that he might have infected Rory and/or Brooks, yet all he did was have brief conversations with them in the parking lot or on the purring green, and you're not gonna catch the virus in that manner.

Yet, what are Karens Shackelford and Shipnuck screaming for?  That the players should be wearing masks on the range....  Oh, and that caddies are handing clubs to players.  

One of those aforementioned Karens took Rory to task for his comments about the spate of positive tests.  This was Rory yesterday:

“I think people … you hear one or two positive tests and people are panicking, and I saw a couple of calls to shut the tournament down, which is silly from my point of view,” McIlroy said. “You know, I thought [Monahan] did a really good job explaining. There’s been almost 3,000 tests administered. The percentage of positive tests is under … it’s a quarter of a percent. 

“I think as a whole, it’s been going really well. There’s a couple of loose ends that we needed to tidy up, and I think we’ve done that. So yeah, I feel like the mood and the tone of the event was probably lifted by Jay yesterday.”

As compared to this from March:

Back in March, Powers notes when we knew less about the virus, McIlroy expressed graver concern about COVID-19, which was about 2.5 million cases and 126,000 deaths ago.

The four-time major winner said “we need to shut it down” if a player or caddie tested positive. Of course, March was a much different situation than June. McIlroy’s latest comments would indicate that he believes the tour is handling what continues to be a fluid situation quite well.

OK, Geoff Karen, but you know those death rates are...well, a tad inflated:

In most U.S. jurisdictions, unlike many other countries, if someone dies with COVID-19, that becomes the cause of death for official purposes. That’s true even if it didn’t technically “cause” the person’s death.

But sometimes even not being infected counts. After New York reported its 10,000 fatalities in May, the New York Times revealed that “3,700 additional people who were presumed to have died of the coronavirus … had never tested positive.”

In California, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond investigated 194 COVID-19 deaths through mid-May and found that only six could be clearly claimed as caused by COVID-19. “We’ve unfortunately had six pure, solely coronavirus deaths — six out of 3.3 million people,” said Desmond. 

Washington state reported that at least five of its then 828 COVID-19 deaths were actually due to gunshot wounds. Pennsylvania had to remove “hundreds of deaths” from its tally for misreporting the actual causes.

OK, so maybe a whole lot more than a tad....  Though I hadn't heard about this one case:

A review of Minnesota deaths through late May, for instance, found that of 741 registered COVID-19 deaths, fewer than 41% listed it as a “primary cause.” By that standard, George Floyd, who died in police custody and tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, could have been counted as a COVID-19 fatality had his death not been so well publicized.

Could have or was?  Talk about an All-World Twofer...

But the biggest howler to me is that Shack and others conflate March, with spectators and the infamous Chainsmokers concert, with late June.  Everyone seems to have completely lost their minds...

Lastly, you might be interested in Shane Lowry's week, as he made a poor choice of practice round partners:

After watching some of his fellow PGA Tour pros withdraw from the Travelers

Championship on Wednesday, Shane Lowry immediately picked up the phone. 

A day earlier, he had played a practice round with Graeme McDowell, Brooks Koepka and Chase Koepka. All three of those players were among the five total WDs this week, as McDowell’s caddie, Ken Comboy, and Brooks Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, both tested positive for COVID-19. 

Lowry needed to know if he, too, should pull out.

Bad things happen when you hang out with the Irish....  which of course I've been doing since April of 1999.

He may be playing, but Lowry also is having to take extra precautions. He is wearing his mask into the scoring area and he’s restricted from going inside the clubhouse and player dining.

“I'm kind of just being as cautious as I can,” he said. “It's obviously disappointing that a few people have got it, but not that it's inevitable, but it's the world we're living in at the minute, and I think we kind of need to keep it to a minimum. … I think the first couple of weeks have been kind of a kick in the backside to all of us and to make sure that we do the right things when we're out there because even I'm guilty of it. I fist bumped the first couple of weeks, there's no doubt.” 

Lowry added that he feels the Tour is doing the right thing by playing on, a sentiment echoed Thursday by Rory McIlroy, who said it would be “silly” for the Tour to shut it down with only four positive tests among players and caddies – Cameron Champ and Nick Watney have also tested positive, Champ on Tuesday and Watney last Friday at the RBC Heritage.

Well, if you're gonna be all logical about it... But, careful Shane, you saw what they did to Ms. Rowling:

“I just kind of wish people would stop being so negative toward it,” Lowry said. “I think we're very lucky to be back out playing. I've seen a lot of media coverage that is quite negative, and I don't like it. I think the PGA Tour, Jay, everybody involved has done a great job, and I as a professional golfer am very happy to be back to work and to be providing some entertainment for some people at home.”

Shane, I think the question you were looking for is cui bono....

Dateline: Mamaroneck, NY - I tend to believe that they're over-thinking this, but the USGA has announced their exemption list for the September U.S. Open, and it seems like every professional golfer has qualified.  I know it's allegedly capped at 144 players, but it might be easier to list those not qualified.

The USGA on Thursday announced the exemption criteria for its 144-player field, which is set to compete Sept. 17-20 at Winged Foot’s West Course in Mamaroneck, New York. The news comes just more than a month since the USGA canceled all qualifying for its premier men’s championship because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

While much of the championship’s exemptions were kept intact, the organization did add several new categories, ranging from high finishers in upcoming PGA Tour events to Korn Ferry Tour points leaders to top-ranked amateur players.

Korn Ferry points leaders?  Hey, I did quite well in our first Thursday night league play, surely there's a category that covers that?

Here's where methinks they jumped the shark:

Remaining exemption categories 

• Top two players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 and ties of the 2020 Memorial, 3M Championship, WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, Barracuda Championship and Wyndham Championship, and the top three players, not otherwise exempt, in the top 10 and ties of the 2020 PGA Championship.
• Top five players, not otherwise exempt, from the final 2019-20 FedExCup points list.
• Top 10 aggregate point earners from the European Tour’s five-event U.K. swing, from the Betfred British Masters through the Wales Open.
• Top five players, not otherwise exempt, in Korn Ferry Tour points through the WinCo Foods Portland Open.
• Top five players, not otherwise exempt, in Korn Ferry Tour Finals points through the KFT Championship.
• Top two finishers, not otherwise exempt, in the Japan Tour Order of Merit as of July 15.
• Order of Merit winners from the Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and PGA Tour Australasia as of July 15.
• Top three finishers in the 2020 PGA Professional Championship.
• Top seven ranked players, not otherwise exempt, in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of Aug. 19, following the U.S. Amateur.
• Special exemptions.

The logic seems to be to recreate the universe of players that would have emerged from Sectional Qualifying.  Except, of course, that qualifying is its own test, whereas here the USGA is just arbitrarily picking winners and losers.

Let me try to explain why it's a hot mess.  Take the third bullet above, that jerry-rigged UK series on the Euro Tour.   I don't love it, because I think the fields will be weak, but it's at least a logical way to handle the absence of qualifying.  All players are on notice of this as a way to play yourself into the event, and it becomes its own qualifier.

The bullet above on the list unfairly rewards those that played more on the Fall portion of the wraparound schedule.  If players knew that three months of the schedule would be lost, they'd have showed up for every one of these events.  I'd have kept it far simpler, and merely gond down as far on the world ranking schedule as you have room in the field.

Of course, it being Winged Foot, this is the meme getting the most play:

Why Phil won’t need a (potentially awkward) special invite to play in the 2020 U.S. Open

Why should it be awkward?  For the usual reason, because Phil ran his mouth:

Mickelson, the 50-year-old five-time major champ, is 61st in that ranking, meaning he’ll auto-qualify. He was not otherwise exempt. This is notable, because many observers

assumed the USGA would hand Mickelson a special exemption to get into the field. He’s played in 28 U.S. Opens in his career and has a record six runner-up finishes, just a win away from completing the career grand slam. But Mickelson said in February he wouldn’t accept a special invite even if he was offered one. 

“I don’t want a special exemption,” he said. “I think I’ll get in the tournament. If I get in, I deserve to be there. If I don’t, I don’t. I don’t want a sympathy spot. If I am good enough to make it and qualify, then I need to earn my spot there.”

I was gonna need to team of Viennese psychiatrists to explain Phil's reaction here, so it's a good thing we're all spared that national trauma.  

 I'll just through in this amusing bit on the current state of the course:

If I ran the world, all U.S. Opens played in the Northeast would be played in September, which meteorologically and agronomically is just the perfect time.  

Since it's the perfect moment to hold it, we can assume we'll have two weeks of Biblical rains beforehand, and the guy's will be forced to play lift, clean and cheat.  Why?  Because it's 2020.

I shall leave you here and wish you a good weekend.  Whatever said weekend brings, we'll sort it out on Monday morning.