A depressing time for sure, as this post figures to spend more time promoting future Silly Season events than wrapping actual competitive golf... The worst part by far being that, given the shape of things out West, I might actually have nothing better to do than to watch said Silly Season golf.
Dateline: St. Simons Island, GA - This is always a nice, low-key finish to the season, though the revised Tour schedule still has a stop in Mexico after Thanksgiving. I've always had a soft spot for this guy:
After a crushing three-putt par on the par-5 15th hole, it seemed to be quite clear that this wasn’t Robert Streb’s day. While the rest of the contenders at the RSM Classic were throwing up 62s and 63s, Streb was plodding along at one under. That wasn’t going to get it done on a day when there was virtually no wind on Sea Island.But Streb stayed in it, even after watching his three-shot lead vanish and seeing that he was now going to have to do the chasing. Up ahead at the 72nd green, Kevin Kisner had posted a 63 to reach 19 under. Streb needed to make something happen.He did exactly that at the difficult par-3 17th, stepping on a 6-iron and drawing it in to the back right pin. His tee shot came to rest 11 feet from the hole, and he poured in the birdie putt to tie Kisner.
The shot that closed it out will get plenty of air time, but obviously wouldn't have mattered had he not made his par from that tough spot in the fairway bunker on the first playoff hole:
A par at the 18th put them in a sudden-death playoff, and Streb began the playoff by hitting his tee shot in the left fairway bunker. His week appeared dead again, but yet again he stayed within himself, grinding out a par and watching Kisner’s birdie effort for the win just slide past the hole. On the second playoff hole, the 18th once more, Streb found the left rough and pulled off hero shot No. 2 to all but end the tournament.
So, why the soft spot for Streb? Anyone remember this?
That's Streb at the Greenbrier putting with his sand wedge... And not just putting with it, but making everything with it:
Robert Streb admitted he was a little frustrated after he missed a 12-footer for birdie at the ninth hole on Sunday afternoon at The Old White TPC.
But it wasn't like he grabbed the offending putter and gave it a whack over his knee or anything. Streb simply tossed it toward his golf bag as he walked off the green.
"(I) meant to lightly land it next to the bag, and it didn't make it quite far enough, hit the bottom of the bag and the head flew off," Streb said. "So I was like, huh, that's not good."
Streb and his caddie had to think fast and figure out which club to use as a replacement "putter" for the rest of the final round of The Greenbrier Classic. They chose the 56-degree wedge because it seemed to have the straightest edge.
"And it worked out pretty good," Streb said.
Indeed, it did. Streb ended up shooting a phenomenal 32 on the back nine, making five birdies and just one bogey, to earn a spot in the four-man playoff with Danny Lee, Kevin Kisner and David Hearn.
That was plenty amazing, but what I loved most was what happened next, which requires a huge irony alert. Streb had a back-up putter which he was allowed to swap in because a playoff is deemed a separate round of golf. Take a moment to appreciate the cosmic absurdity of some of our rules. A one-hole, sudden death playoff is a new round, but when Phil had to return to Baltusrol on Monday to finish his final round at the 2005 PGA Championship, that's considered the same round of golf (despite the rather severe storm that dramatically changed conditions, leaving Phil without a club to play the Par-3 16th. One extra hole today: Do what you want. Four holes tomorrow: No changes permitted...
What amused me is that, after putting so well with the sand wedge, he had to decide whether to use the back-up putter in the playoff. The irony arises from the the fact that, having decided to use that putter, he then proceeded to so butcher the Par-3 finishing hole at The Greenbrier, that he never got the chance to putt..
The Tour Confidential panel had this take on the event:
4. Robert Streb won his second PGA Tour title on Sunday, edging Kevin Kisner in a playoff at the RSM Classic. One victory on a player’s resume proves that a player can win on Tour. What is the significance of a second win?
That a player can win twice?
Bamberger: That elite golf can be played without a golf glove and at a ready-golf pace.
I like Mike's take, I'm just a little uncertain about the "elite" bit...
Sens: The greatest significance has got to be for the player themself. In Streb’s case, it had been six years since his last win. At some point in that long drought, doubt has to start creeping in. For anyone who has pushed themselves hard enough to get to that level, cashing paychecks alone can’t ultimately be enough. Streb’s turkey is going to taste especially good this year, which is something I never say about turkey.
Josh, you got something against tryptophan? Makes for sweet naps, so what's not to like?
Piastowski: Very significant. You’re not a one-hit wonder. You didn’t just get on a four-day heater. And now the win opens up the door to all kinds of additional opportunities, including the Masters. Streb did it impressively at the end, too. He hit a hell of a shot on 17 to draw back into a tie for the lead after he entered the day up three. He gave himself a good look on 18 in regulation. Then his approach on the second playoff hole, against one of the better players on Tour in Kevin Kisner, will go down as one of the shots of the year. Good stuff.
Kiz is one of the better players on Tour?
Shipnuck: Well, there are plenty of guys who are rarely factors who then pop up and snag a second win (paging Jim Herman). But, for sure, it stamps a player as the real thing.
Dethier: There are a lot more one-time winners than two-time winners, so it basically means you’ve put yourself in the right spot at least a couple times — and answers the bell once you’ve arrived there. I was impressed to see Streb hold that three-shot lead. It’s difficult to play with a lead.
Got it, Tour journey man wins and there's not much of note to peck into our keyboards, excepting perhaps that it comes from nowhere:
Streb hasn’t finished in the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings in each of the past three seasons, and his recent form didn’t suggest he’d earn his first title in six years. He had shot in the 60s only three times in his last 12 rounds entering this week, but posted four straight rounds in the 60s, including a 63 on Friday and closed with a 2-under 68 to finish with a 72-hole aggregate of 19-under 263.
And one can only assume that he'll now disappear again for a period of years, such is our game.
Dateline: Johannesburg, South Africa - If you haven't heard of the mellifluously-named Wilco Nienaber, you might need to get out more. What, oh yeah I forgot, over there one can only leaves one's home for a select list of government-approved reasons...
Ironically, it seems to be a day of irony alerts:
Ironically, both of what proved to be the decisive moments in the final round of the Joburg Openon Sunday were shots that flew too far.Three days after hitting the drive that echoed around the world of golf—a 439-yard bomb off the tee at the 597-yard par-5 fourth hole on the Randpark course during the opening round of the European Tour event—Wilco Nienaber arrived on the penultimate tee tied for the lead with Joachim B. Hansen. Unfortunately for Nienaber, a 20-year-old South African, that was as good as things would get. His tee shot on the 223-yard par-3 17th finished inches from the water that runs behind and left of the putting surface. A bogey, his first of the day, was the almost inevitable result from the awkward spot, the dropped shot putting Hansen one shot clear.
There's video of that 439-yarder, which is slightly longer than the average drive of our domestic beast, though there is altitude involved:
The former South African amateur champion’s gargantuan blast, one that finished almost exactly 99 yards past Bryson DeChambeau’s average tee shot on the PGA Tour, does, however, come with an asterisk. Sitting on the eastern plateau of South Africa known as the Highveld, Johannesburg is 5,751 feet above sea level, the thin air a hugely contributing factor in how far every shot travels.
His average, 336.81 yards, sounds Brysonesque. My only point being that this isn't about the one guy. Yanno, that evolutionary vs. revolutionary bit.
Le Sigh!
Dateline: Augusta, GA - Bryson, is that a 48" driver shaft, or are you just happy to see me? No one was talking about this guy, though:
As we recently found out on our latest Fully Equipped podcast, Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters Champion, was also seriously considering a switch into a longer driver. Keith Sbarbaro, TaylorMade’s VP of Tour Operations, revealed that Johnson not only tested 47-inch drivers leading up to the Masters, but he actually played in a practice round with a long driver on Tuesday of Masters week.
Of course, Johnson ultimately decided to use his 45.75-inch TaylorMade SIM driver (10.5 degrees) en route to a record-setting performance; he drove the ball masterfully all week, averaging 306.5 yards off the tee and hitting 78.57 percent of his fairways.
So, what's it all about, Alfie? Speed, baby:
Sbarbaro says Johnson used the 47-incher in a Tuesday practice round with Mickelson, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, but the long driver ultimately got filtered out of the rotation before the real competition started on Thursday. And that’s a good thing since Sbarbaro didn’t want to 47-incher going into play because it was screwing with his timing on the other clubs.
“The fact that he had a game [on Tuesday] where he was playing with other great players and had to play well I think that was a huge benefit to get that club out of the bag,” Sbarbaro said. “Sure enough by the end of that practice round the 47-incher was gone … He is intrigued by the 10 yards, but it just wasn’t the time to do it.”
For his long driver experiment, Johnson was using a TaylorMade SIM driver head with a 47-inch Fujikura Ventus Black driver shaft, and he was seeing up to 192-193 mph of ball speed (Johnson is typically around the mid-180s of ball speed with his standard driver).
I'm struck by the large differential with Bryson, who is pushing 200 mph of initial ball speed. It wasn't the right time for it, but that time is rapidly approaching...
Ready for some silliness?
Dateline: Oro Valley, AZ - I've been trying to forget about this event, but they seem insistent on playing it regardless:
Who could forget Charles Barkley’s brutal assessment of the quality of golf Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson displayed in the first rendition of “The Match” two years ago in Las Vegas?“This is crappy golf. Y’all know that,” the NBA Hall of Famer-turned-broadcaster drawled with his typical honesty to a pay-per-view television audience. “I could beat these two guys today.”Welp, give Barkley credit for stepping from behind the microphone onto the tee box to bring to the franchise his own brand of golf—which through the years has been chronicled to be uniquely, um … oh, heck … crappy. On Friday, the Round Mound of Sound (nee Rebound) teams with Mickelson in “Capital One’s The Match: Champions For Change” at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Oro Valley, Ariz. Their opposition in the modified alternate shot competition is the duo of Stephen Curry, NBA All-Star, and Peyton Manning, retired NFL great.
Does this make it sound any more appealing?
“Honest to God, I don’t know why he’s subjecting himself to this,” said Gary McCord, who will serve as an on-course reporter for the telecast, which begins at 3 p.m. EST on TNT. “He’s gone from talking about the chaos to stepping on the tee and creating chaos. He’ll be the agent of chaos in this thing, and it’s going to be really, really interesting.”
We'll be the judge of that, Gary, I mean assuming we tune in. But am I the only one that feels them trying way too hard:
Gary McCord will come out of retirement to be part of the broadcast, saying earlier this week that The Match III is right up his alley.
“The format is four guys trying to get it in the hole while bitch-slapping each other verbally. That’s fun,” he said.
Yeah, maybe. Or maybe it's four guys trying way too hard to amuse...
I've seen nothing on the format. I'm probably taking this far too seriously, but my takeaway from the last installment was that the inclusion of the amateurs was the best bit, though that was mostly in the alternate shot. In the best ball, Peyton and Brady weren't given enough shots to be relevant, a problem that compounds with three ams and one quasi-professional, methinks.
That TC panels spent far too much time on this for sure:
1. The Match III is set for this Friday at Stone Canyon GC in Oro Valley, Ariz. Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley will square off against Steph Curry and Peyton Manning. Which of those four will most entice you to tune in, and why?
Michael Bamberger: Steph Curry. He looks like he could be about 22 years away, with a lot of practice and a lot of improvement, from a second career on the PGA Tour Champions Tour.
Which sounds like it could be interesting, in about 22 years.
Josh Sens: Of all the just-add-water Matches we’ve seen in recent times, this one has the best group chemistry, on paper at least. But of the individuals, Barkley, by far. He’s the funniest and most relatable of the group, and word is that he’s made huge off-camera improvements in his swing lately, so watching him under the spotlight should be good entertainment.
Nick Piastowski: Barkley. Not the most surprising take there. But I’m watching him not just for the funky swing, which, yes, will also be great. He’s one of the best entertainers in sports – if not the best. What will Charles say when Phil snaps one right? What will Charles say when Peyton duffs a chip? What will Charles say when Steph mishits an iron? Can’t wait.
Charles sucking at golf can be amusing, but I'm thinking it's amusing in small doses...
Dylan Dethier: Lefty. He’s the glue that holds these things together, and he’s only getting better — he was hilarious in the Match II, if that’s what we’re calling it. Without Phil, there is no match.
Alan Shipnuck: I agree with Mike – Steph is a hard-core and extremely talented golfer in his spare time. It will be fun to watch him do his thing.
Dylan, isn't there a more fundamental question at this very juncture? To wit:
2. The biggest difference between this edition of the Match and the first two iterations is no Tiger Woods. How much does Tiger’s absence impact the watchability of the event?
Bamberger: No, not at all. You watch these things, if you watch them at all, because you’re looking for the pleasant numbness that comes from watching any of these essentially meaningless off-season golf events while the various complications of real life unfold elsewhere. They’re a holiday within a holiday, needed now more than ever.
Sens: Agreed. And as Michael has pointed out rightly before, these kinds of confections aren’t really Tiger’s thing. They showcase his weaknesses (televised banter), not his strengths (competing in meaningful events). It’s like watching Mozart play Chopsticks.
Piastowski: Not much. You might lose the curious, how’s-Tiger-looking fan, of which there are a few. But it’s a loose, fun event with seemingly four loose, fun golfers, which should more than make up for the absence of Woods.
Dethier: You’re all delusional. Tiger Woods not showing up for this edition is a huge loss for this franchise, even if the actual substance of his contributions left something to be desired. Once we’re watching, it’ll be just as fun if not more so — but in the golf world, Tiger still elevates everything to the next level.
Shipnuck: Everyone is right! We need/want Tiger’s star power, but when the lights turn on, his goes inward and is a bit of a buzzkill. So fewer people will tune in, but it will probably be more fun.
The problem to me is that without the complicated psychodrama that is the Tiger-Phil relationship, there's precious little her of interest. Phil tweaking Steph Curry doesn't have much frisson, does it?
But Tiger had other options.
Dateline: Orlando, FL - The Father-Son event has long been a highlight of the Silly Season, nothing quite like humanizing legends by watching them nurture their kids and/or grandchildren. But this took folks by surprise:
The news on Thursday wasn’t so much that Tiger Woods will play one more tournament in 2020. It’s who his partner will be in that event.Woods announced that he and his 11-year-old son, Charlie, will team up in next month’s PNC Championship, an exhibition that features 20 major championship-winning golfers competing alongside a family member.Formerly known as the Father-Son Challenge, the two-day, 36-hole scramble event begins Dec. 19 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando. Fans will not be permitted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the event will be broadcast across NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock.
Obviously this segue was teed up:
3. Speaking of Woods, he announced last week that he and his 11-year-old son, Charlie, will play together in next month’s PNC Championship, a team event that pairs major winners with family members. How much of a marketing/ratings boost will Team Woods provide to what is normally a fairly low-key affair?
Bamberger: Huge. Young Charlie’s swing is out of a dream. I’m looking for swing tips wherever I can find them, and in Charlie, I think we can see the golf-swing ideals that Tiger holds dear. As I type, I’m thinking of Charlie’s backswing rhythm, and Tiger’s own, from his days as a spirited junior golfer. Tiger started as a kid with clubs that were too heavy for him (he has said). I’m sure Charlie’s clubs are weight-appropriate for him, but he takes the club back like it’s a log. Like Boros did, like Fred does, like Tiger does still today, at least on the shorter clubs. Nobody talks much these days about backswing rhythm. It’s not part of the Brooks-Bryson-JT method. But it’s had a long history of success, and I think it’s one of Tiger’s ultimate keys. So I’ll be watching.Sens: A big-time boost. We’ve watched Tiger in pretty much every golf permutation imaginable over his career. This is one we haven’t seen. And it’s one that he seems genuinely keen to be a part of, as opposed to those aforementioned Matches.
Piastowski: Big. Tiger in any tournament is a draw. Now add the curiosity around his son. How does a player with the genes of one of the greatest players of all time play? And add in the curiosity of Tiger as a coach. How does one of the greatest players of all time teach? And add in the curiosity of Tiger as a dad. How does he react if Charlie rolls in a birdie? Or mishits? But, please, let’s keep it in perspective for Charlie. Yes, I’ll be watching him and how he plays. But he’s 11. Let’s let him grow up, too.
Dethier: There’s always been a natural curiosity of what Tiger Woods, Dad, is really like. And there’s also a natural curiosity of what Charlie Woods, Tiger’s son, is like. But we’ve also tried to respect their privacy. Now that Charlie and Tiger are excited to share this stage together, we can get excited to watch ‘em do so.
Shipnuck: It’s a monumental boost. No joke, I think the Golf Twitter is more excited about Charlie than any player currently competing on the PGA Tour. It’s gonna be wild.
How many different ways are there to say huge. Intrinsically it's just so much more interesting than the silliness of The Match, with all sorts of fascinating psychological overtones.
Though to me the far more interesting aspects are ignored in this confab, but hinted at in this Alan Shipnuck tweet:
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