Weekend Wrap

So, anything you guys want to talk about this morning?  It was good fun, though not without its dark side as well...

Charlie's Angels - And they were both there, the first we've seen of Elin since Thanksgiving 2009.  With no disrespect to the winners, we know who drew the eyeballs:

ORLANDO — They say every golf tournament has one winner and a whole bunch of losers. Whoever said that has clearly never watched Tiger Woods play golf with his son.

“I don’t think words can describe it,” Woods said. “The fact that we were able to have this experience together, Charlie and I. It’s memories for a lifetime.”

On Sunday, Team Woods shot a second-straight 62 to finish the PNC Championship at 20 under, seventh place overall, five shots behind their buddies, Justin and Mike Thomas, who closed with 57 for a one-shot victory. Had the Woodses holed a few more putts on their front nine, perhaps they could have made a run for the title. They made too many pars, and pars simply don’t cut it in a scramble format.

Not really one of those kind of tournaments, but that's what makes it work.  But by my unofficial count, they led the field in both eagles and bogeys, so there's work to be done before next year's event.

But who cares? This week was never about a trophy. Tiger has plenty of those; he only has one son. This was about making sure Charlie had the time of his life playing alongside his dad. The actual golf—that part was extra.

Extra, and spectacular. The younger Woods impressed throughout the week, from his first striped tee shot in Thursday’s pro-am round to the one on the 18th tee on Sunday. He made the first eagle of his life on Saturday, a moment he’ll never forget. A day later, after pouring in a 10-footer, he unleashed a fist pump straight out of pop’s playbook. A moment we’ll never forget

It was good fun, and Employee No.2 and I soaked up every minute... excepting, of course, the bit on Peacock.  

You guys have absorbed it by now, the uncanny similarities of body language and mannerisms.  Yeah, there were a few fist pumps, but this was my own fave:

This was my favorite header from the first day's action:

Charlie Woods shines, carries his dad Tiger Woods in PNC Championship debut

OK, thanks for clarifying, but we knew who his Dad is... Apparently there's no truth to the rumor that Patrick Reed called Charlie to sympathize over having to carry Tiger...

Mike Bamberger has a good piece on the week, which he frames with something I wondered about as well:

When Tiger Woods and David Duval gathered on the 1st tee here Sunday, their sons in the vicinity, they tried to figure out how long it’s been since they’ve played together. Fifteen years, Duval guessed. More like 16 or 17, Tiger said. If you’re doing an over/under, take 16. That’s one of Tiger’s skills. He’s like a human timestamp.

Time heals. It changes us, softens us, slows us. It grows you up, if you let it.

Bob Harig raises an interesting note though, in a bit of postmodernism, Mikey Bams explains it better:

Bob Harig of ESPN was the first to make this point: Charlie’s interest in golf is good for Tiger. It keeps him engaged in the game, his own game, as he tries to hang on, and Charlie’s game, as young Charlie tries to get better. The stakes were high this week for Tiger. Live golf, live TV, a private family dynamic on display for all to see. It went beautifully. It really did, right down to the Justin-Mike Thomas win.

It could, although I still think he'll be as interested as his body will permit...

I was actually quite happy to see this:

Have we seen her since 2009?  I actually think she deserves quite a bit of credit in the aftermath of their public scandal.  Lots of folks talk about it being about the kids, but Elin seems to actually walk the walk.  Oh, and big-sister Sam with her nose in her phone is all too pitch perfect for this generation.

Mike had this moment as well:

As Charlie and Tiger Woods — and Brady and David Duval — were coming up 18, an unlikely sight was unfolding on the cart path on the right side of the fairway: Erica Herman, Tiger’s girlfriend, casually walking up the path alongside Elin Nordegren, chatting about … whatever. At one point, Elin ran her hand through Erica’s hair, as women sometimes do, an old hairdo checkout move that’s been around forever. Erica is close to Charlie and his sister, Sam, who was walking arm-in-arm with her mom. Who saw that coming? Duval, in a manner of speaking. As he notes, none of us is the same now as we were then. 

I understand that Elin became very friendly with Lindsay Vonn as well, understanding that Tiger's squeeze would inevitably spend a lot of time with her children...   

The Tour Confidential guys liked it as well:

1. The Tiger and Charlie Woods Open, formerly known as the PNC Championship, is in the books. Justin Thomas and his PGA professional father, Mike, prevailed, but Tiger and 11-year-old Charlie stole the show. From the forward tees, Charlie, at times, carried his dad, while Dad, at times, carried Charlie with words of encouragement. What’s your main takeaway from watching Tiger in action with his son?

Michael Bamberger: Tiger as a father. He doesn’t baby the kid. He respects him. He’s there, but he’s not all over him. How refreshing in this era of helicopter parenting.

Dylan Dethier: I’m with Michael. When Tiger Woods was 11, he’d already had a competitive golf career that exceeds most full-grown adults, so I think when he sees Charlie, he sees a real person. That makes their interactions more fun to watch.

James Colgan: We’ve benefitted so much from Tiger Woods, the golfer, that it felt almost unfair to benefit from the awesomeness of Tiger Woods, the dad, this weekend. Still, what a unique and special memory the Woods family elected to share with the world.

Sean Zak: That golf is their thing. A lot of sons and fathers have their thing they do together. It’s one of their favorite things to do together. All the smiles, all the time. Warming stuff in this cold season.

There was a long stretch when Tiger couldn't play with his boy, so I expect there's some thankfulness involved as well.  Of course, it's hard to find anything new to say about fathers and sons:

2. It was easy to get swept up in all the Tiger-Charlie hoopla, but the fact remains that this was our first extended look as Tiger in the role of father. Which individual moment most sticks with you from the week?

Bamberger: How nervous Tiger was when he talked to reporters after the Thursday pro-am

round. It told me the stakes were high for him. He needed the week to go well, and there are no guarantees, of course.

Dethier: From the same interview: Tiger was asked an awkwardly phrased question about what’s on Charlie’s bedroom wall, searching for a comparison to Tiger’s poster about Jack’s major championship record. Tiger bristled. Playing in the tournament was one thing; talking about it was more of a tightrope walk.

Bamberger: Well said, Dylan. Tiger knows what it’s like to have your childhood bedroom exposed for the world to see.

Colgan: Tiger talked a bit Sunday about building a “little world” with Charlie in Orlando, away from the noise. It struck me that, in more ways than one, that’s been Charlie’s entire life.

Zak: The reaction to Charlie’s first eagle. Everyone remembers their first eagle. I’d guess Tiger does. Charlie won’t forget his.

I'll still admit to misgivings, as he's only eleven.  Tiger's talk about creating that bubble reinforced that because, the obvious reaction is that, if that's your concern, perhaps you shouldn't be here.

I do wonder whether it would have happened this soon in a different year, one with normal galleries.

Let's dispense with this bit, then circle back to that dark underbelly:

3. With all the attention on Team Woods, it was easy to forget that 19 other intriguing tandems were in the field. Which other duo did you most enjoy watching?

What?  There were other teams? 

Bamberger: Every last one of them, but to answer the question, I’ll go with Lee and Daniel Trevino. Trevino at 81 seems to have every shot. Daniel’s swing is loaded with speed and modern style. Lee’s love of shotmaking shows up every time he’s over the ball. By his own admission, he wasn’t always the most engaged father. He’s engaged with Daniel.

He was a revelation at 81...Wow!

Dethier: Matt Kuchar’s son, Cameron, is only two years older than Charlie Woods, but he was sweet-swinging his way through the weekend.

 Colgan: How about Jackie Langer, who stepped into action alongside her father after a back injury to her brother Jack and contended admirably? Count me on the Cameron Kuchar wagon, too.

Zak: Can they just trot out all these teams again next year? And the year after that? To be honest, the son I’m most anxious to see play big events is Lil John Daly. That swing is fun.

So, it was very much a feel-good weekend, but of course they don't understand the concept of all things in their place:

4. The PNC is always a reminder that competitive family golf is a blast to watch. Would you endorse a new national championship — i.e., one conducted by the USGA — that pits two-man/woman teams of family members?

Bamberger: No, I don’t think so. Too contrived. But this event works so well. I love how it hands the game down. Imagine what it will mean to Charlie Woods, decades from now, that he got putting tips at age 11 from 85-year-old Gary Player, who knew Hogan and Jones and Sarazen.

 Make this bigger and you can't have Trevino, Player and the other has-beens in the filed.  

Dethier: The Tiger Effect extends to the Champions Tour, as it turns out. Turns out all this event needed was a little injection of Tiger-Charlie eyeballs to get that much more compelling. Suddenly the swagger of Team Daly, the father-son contrast of Team O’Meara, and the rising star of Cameron Kuchar were all on display. The stakes felt about right, though.

Dylan, we're not even sure there was a Tiger effect...  But that doesn't mean there won't be a Charlie effect... 

Bamberger: I’d rather see Gary Player v. Charlie Woods straight up, same tees, Tiger on Charlie’s bag, Trevino on Player’s.

That's good, Mike, but those tees seemed rather... well, let's go with arbitrary.  Did you catch that bit on No. 18 when Cass Singh played a hole 35 yards longer than his Dad, who has done a thing or two in this here game?

Colgan: I loved the PNC, but anything more than the past few days wouldn’t do justice to parents or children.

Zak: I could get behind it! Why not? There are parent-child events in golf associations across the country — why not blow it out?

It works because it's intimate and low-key.  If you "blow it out", you'd be shocked at how quickly it would lose its charm.

Shack has a long post on the darkness descending angle, though your humble blogger is just a tad skeptical.  here's his take:

NBC rode the lad harder than George Wolff on Seabiscuit in the Big Cap, but the coverage was largely tasteful. Mildly distasteful was NBC sticking Charlie and Tiger’s first tee shot behind the Peacock Premium paywall to pimp their latest streaming venture, but that’s ultimately a minor offense compared to what was witnessed on social media.

GolfWRX breathlessly started trying to figure out what was in Charlie’s bag—noted early on they could confirm 14 clubs, eventually posting his specs and brand of choice. I will not be providing that link.

I get that there is enthusiasm for the lad’s game. There is a shared communal excitement at the sight of a young golfer so impressively talented and already better than most of us. But coupled with the modern day need to express excessive enthusiasm like pre-teens squealing at a K-pop concert, it’s embarrassing. With ads being sold, clicks counted and “activation” points with senior leadership as contracts are up for renewal, it’s understandable why restraint goes out the window.

But the examples he provides seem, well, unremarkable:

 How was your swing when you were 11? 😳 pic.twitter.com/vDhphUrudG

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 17, 2020

Was that so awful?  Or this?

10 years from now is Charlie Woods hitting shots on @PGATOUR ? Go!

— Michael Breed (@MichaelBreed) December 19, 2020

As for this hate crime...

 I've never been addicted to watching a golf swing before...until now pic.twitter.com/xwwp1idkKO

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) December 19, 2020

Adam Shupak recommends a chill pill for Golf Twitter:

The Twitter-verse was abuzz at the sight of Charlie’s swing and warm-up session on the range Thursday next to Tiger before their pro-am round as if they’d seen the second coming. Cue the crazy talk that Charlie was going to revolutionize the game while breaking all of his dad’s records.

Simmer down, people. Charlie’s action shows raw promise and it’s evident that he not only has his famous father’s golf genes but his ‘feels,’ and perhaps most importantly, a love for the game. But let’s cool our heels. Let’s allow this weekend to be about a father and son bonding on the golf course.

Of course it's silly to project Charlie as a touring professional, given that he barely comes up to Tiger's knee.  But are we really at that point where we're outlawing silliness?   Because I can't remember a time when we needed it more...

Michael McKewan at Bunkered.UK furthers that theme:

Being the only son of one of the biggest and most successful sportsmen of the last hundred years explains the interest in him, but in no way justifies the obsession.

Interest is wanting to see him hit shots. Obsession is filming him doing something as mundane as walking through the golf club car park.

It troubles me that this needs to be pointed out but devoting so much attention to a pre-pubescent, primary school-age child is not normal behaviour. Unhealthy? Yes. Unnerving? Oh, yeah. Irresponsible? Uncomfortable? Creepy, even? No doubt. But not normal.

Was the reaction to Charlie a little over the top?  Sure, but did you see that swing?  I will say that at least McKewan is consistent with this:

If you were surprised that Tiger allowed his youngest to take part in the million-dollar tournament, you’re not alone. I don’t know what his reasons were, nor do I have any particular desire to speculate about them. That's his business, his decision. What I do know is that he would have expected the move to invite attention. But that shouldn’t vindicate the torrent of sycophancy and hyperbole foisted upon the little lad this week.

 Again - and it bothers me that this requires reiteration - he’s an 11-year-old child.

Thing is, if this creeped you out, then you have to be critical of the parents.  But the answer to McKewan's question as Tiger's motives seems to be, because Charlie wanted to play.  I don't make a habit of criticizing parents for rather obvious reasons, but where do you go with that?

Shack has some fun visuals, though nothing especially creepy, including this riffing on the recent issues surrounding that Tiger Tracker Twitter account:

For the record, I'm pretty sure that LVann is not the aforementioned LVonn.

I'll leave this event wondering about the ratings...  I suspect it'll be quite the stark contrast with, say, last week's U.S. Women's Open.

Tree, Forest - I actually watched quite a bit of this perched on my stationary bike, and it rocked:

Jin Young Ko didn’t play much golf on the LPGA Tour this year. But when she did, she sure made it count — particularly on Sunday, when she blitzed the field at the CME Group Tour

Championship to secure the biggest prize in the women’s game.

Early in the back nine, the CME title was wholly up in the air. Ko and Sei Young Kim were knotted at the top, with big-time names like Lexi Thompson and Georgia Hall lurking within two shots. Then Ko turned on the afterburners, making birdie at 12, 13, 14 and 16 to open up a four-stroke advantage. She added a birdie at 18 for good measure to secure that $1.1 million first prize.

After-burners is an apt analogy, as she just ran away.  However, none of this works very well for the Mike Whan and his tour, as she won the money title while playing in only four events.  Oh, and can we spare a moment to note that the Golf.com editors chose quite the strange angle for their accompanying photo... 

 The TC panel spared a question for the girls, including detail on the recently-announced 2021 schedule:

5. Top-ranked Jin Young Ko capped the LPGA season with a dominating five-under back nine to win the CME Group Tour Championship and the money title (despite playing in only four events.) This comes after an entertaining U.S. Women’s Open, and also in the wake of encouraging news for 2021: The LPGA has 34 official tournaments on the schedule, including two new events, and a record $76.45 million in purse money. What are your hopes for the women’s game this coming season?

Bamberger: Totally completely bullish. The starting point is to get to know the players. That’s our job. Not ours alone, but it is our job.

Yes, and on that note perhaps you could suggest to your editors that they run photos that show more than the girls' butts?

Dethier: My hope is that the game’s most compelling players play consistently well in the biggest events. Sunday’s CME was a good example: Jin Young Ko outflanking a leaderboard of Sei Young Kim, Georgia Hall, Hannah Green, Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson is the sort of thing that helps build connection between viewer and player. (The same holds true for the men’s game, of course!)

 It's what we all want, but the only household name on that list is Lydia's, and she's more famous these days for firing people than for anything she does with her clubs.

Colgan: The schedule news was great, but it’s not quite enough. The key to growing purses over time (and my biggest hope for the coming season) is to give the women’s game the exposure it deserves. Some of the weight falls on the players to translate exposure into ratings juice, but much of it falls on the television partners to put the women’s game in a position for success.

Zak: More progress, more TV time, more money, more recognition. Even more pageviews, on this very website! More of everything. More of Mel Reid kicking journalists’ asses … and winning tournaments, too. More people on Twitter freaking out about Lexi Thompson’s athleticism in her swing. More appreciation for these ultra-smooth swings that deliver the clubhead better than anyone else on the planet. More of everything.

More of everything... But, could I suggest perhaps a little less Lexi  Seriously, her athleticism is an awkward fit for this tour, but her emotional fragility is getting old.

Udder Stuff - A few more bits of the Year in Review variety, including the winner of that Golf Digest Newsmakers of the Year series.  To refresh your memory, Bryson logged in at No. 2, which tipped us that they'd try to make some kind of point with their golf medal:

No. 1: THE ‘NEW’ GOLFERS

Two decades ago, a golf boom was spurred by a magnetic young star named Tiger Woods and an expanding real estate market. The 2020 version, borne from a pandemic in which no one could do

much else, was never part of anyone’s grow-the-game strategy. But a year in which COVID-19 disrupted so much of life provided an unlikely opening for golf. According to the National Golf Foundation and Golf Datatech, there will be some 50 million more rounds played in 2020 than 2019, an increase partially attributed to good weather, but mostly the serendipitous ways golf fit a social distancing world. Those who couldn’t go to work or the gym could still meet up with friends and play 9 or 18. Handshakes were replaced by elbow bumps and a whole new cottage industry arose in developing creative ways to safely extract a golf ball from the hole. Other than that, the game remained blessedly intact. While the year-end statistics point to an encouraging influx of new players—about 20 percent more beginners and junior players, respectively—the surge appears to have been driven more by core golfers who were simply afforded the chance to play more. Yet one could argue those of us who had played all along were still “new” golfers this year. Because we were suddenly around to play at Wednesday at 2. Because we stored our masks and our hand sanitizer in the same golf bag pocket as our keys. And because every trip to the golf course was a welcome refuge from a distressing new world. We might have always loved golf, but in 2020, we savored it like never before. —Sam Weinman

How can they be so right and so wrong at the same time?  Did you catch that bit where he undermines his own point?

I do very much agree that the biggest story in the game this year was the extent to which our moribund, not-for-this-generation game found itself the perfect solution to the pandemic and associated lockdowns, notwithstanding the attempt of numerous public officials to keep us locked inside.  But as Sam himself notes, this wasn't really about new golfers, but more about millions of occasional golfers finding refuge in the rhythms of our game and getting themselves hooked on it.  I can tell you from personal experience how much I enjoyed seeing the women of Fairview out there every day, many of them with pushcarts or actually carrying their bags.  It never failed to bring a smile to my face, and those were scarcer than toilet paper in April.

As a related point, I heard Jay Monahan actually posit that the professional game drove this resurgence in recreational play, which is delusional in the extreme.  This factor owes nothing too and is completely removed from the professional game, and it's a dangerous thing if Jay fails to understand that basic point.  While the Tour deserves credit for the reboot, the ratings tell a story that should be troubling to the suits in PVB.  Locked at home with nothing to do and nothing to live for, the public stubbornly refused to tune in.... 

Jay is not that far removed from his disastrous oversight of the Players Championship.  You'll remember, where he robotically kept repeating that golf is played over hundreds of acres, while allowing thousands to mingle in close quarters during the infamous Chainsmokers concert.  See what you think of these comments on the vaccine:

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Thursday said he does not envision requirements for players, officials or spectators to be vaccinated for the coronavirus as they look to slowly bring

back more fans as tournaments continue into 2021.

 "I think vaccination is a choice, and I would apply the same logic and the same amount of care to that subject as we have to every other subject, and that is to try and do our best to educate our members on vaccination and the pros and cons associated with it,'' Monahan said during a conference call with reporters. "But ultimately it's an individual decision.''

Cons, Jay?  What exactly would those be?  This guy draws $8 million large per year, and is perfectly happy to let his anti-vaxxer freak flag fly...  

As for "choice", were those that have been locked in their homes since march given a choice?  It goes without saying that choice and vaccines are incompatible... vaccines only work if everyone takes them, but no need to worry about folks who have lost their jobs or businesses.  As long as those in the Ponte Vedra bubble are good, and as long as the sponsor checks keep clearing...

 I'll release you here and see you further down the road.