Tiger Woods’ 2021 season is on hold after he announced that he underwent a microdiscectomy procedure on his back to remove a pressurized disc fragment that was pinching a nerve.He is expected to be sidelined through at least the first two-plus months of the year and will miss both the Farmers Insurance Open and the Genesis Invitational, where he doubles as tournament host.The operation was brought on by discomfort Woods felt following the PNC Championship in December. Doctors characterized the surgery as a success and expect a full recovery, per Woods’ release, and sources close to Tiger say the hope is he can return to play in time for the Masters, which begins April 8.
Tiger remains the clear leader in the clubhouse in successful back surgeries... Of course, I'm not now nor have I ever been a back surgeon, but I would posit that the mark of a successful surgery would be the absence of, you know, additional surgery. So, color me skeptical about the first four.
This does highlight one of my all-time worst predictions, in which I guessed that Tiger's career would end as a result of his left knee. Missed it by that much, though as these two 'graphs show, they're running...well, forgive me, neck-and-neck:
It’s the fifth operation Woods, 45, has had on his back and the first since a spinal-fusion surgery in April 2017. He previously had the microdiscectomy surgery three times in 2014-15. “I look forward to begin training and am focused on getting back out on tour,” Woods said in a statement.
In August 2019, he underwent an arthroscopic procedure to his left knee—his fifth operation on that knee—and missed three months, only to win his first event back at the Zozo Championship in Japan. That marked his 82nd PGA Tour victory, tying Sam Snead for the all-time record.
He's quite clearly out for Torrey and Riviera, though eyes will quite obviously be turned to that second week in April. But this took your humble blogger by surprise:
Tiger Woods has undergone his fifth back surgery and will miss at least two tournaments, withthe rest of his schedule being an unknown.
But he is hitting golf balls.
Golf Channel analyst Notah Begay, a longtime friend of Woods’ and a former teammate at Stanford, said Woods is doing fine and is even hitting golf balls.
“I just exchanged texts with him a little while ago and he’s doing great,” Begay said in a phone call. “He was out on the course hitting golf balls. He wasn’t ripping drivers. He was just getting a feel for the game after the surgery and seeing just how everything is.”
I guess we should be relieved that he wasn't lifting.
Oh, Now He's Healthy? - I'm renown for my effortless segues, but this one might be too subtle for those without subtitles. You might not immediately discern the collective tissue between Tiger and my New York Yankees, but it's unfortunately there. Neither, alas, spends much time at their actual day job, but rather populating the Disabled List (and yes, I'm aware they've changed it to the Injured List, but it's still a semi-free country. Barely).
So, not only is his inability to stay on the field maddening, but he's also got a hottie for a girlfriend:
Cheyenne Woods is a top-level golfer, having competed in more than 80 LPGA Tour events following an award-winning college career. She’s also the niece of Tiger Woods. But she wasn’t the star of a recent story on her Instagram page (152,000 followers strong) featuring an incredible feat of golf mastery.
The golfer commanding the spotlight was instead New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks. Unsurprisingly given his skills on the baseball diamond, Hicks can pound a golf ball a mile. Just last week a video circulated of him clearing the net at a Topgolf.
Hicks made an incredible hole-in-one on a 303-yard par-4. Even more incredible? He did it with a 3-wood.
I'm happy for the guy on both counts, but it sure would be nice to see him in centerfield occasionally. And kids, have fun, but please consider using a net...
Dateline: Stamford, CT - A couple of bits on Golf Channel, the recently diminished network that Arnie likely wouldn't recognize. This news is no surprise:
It went fast, and it ended quietly for David Feherty. After a 10-year run that featured a unique blend of comedy and conversation, his eponymous golf talk program, “Feherty,” has ended.The quick-witted native of Northern Ireland confirmed to Golf Digest that his Emmy-nominated Golf Channel series has not been renewed. He remains on the NBC/Golf Channel tournament broadcast team after agreeing to a three-year deal in December that will take him to age 65.Feherty said he learned in the spring that his show was ending—not long after golf’s COVID-19 shutdown and just weeks after Golf Channel informed staff that it intended to move its operations from Orlando to Stamford, Conn., where headquarters for NBC Sports Group is located.“I don’t know what the reasons were for the decision. I think it was a combination of things,” Feherty said via telephone from his home in Dallas. “We haven’t been able to shoot any episodes because of COVID. The Golf Channel move. I don’t know. Maybe it was just time.
Ten years and 150 shows, so it was a very good run indeed. So, who was his last guest? Anyone? Bueller?
Aptly, Feherty’s last show, which aired in September, featured fellow Irishman Shane Lowry, the reigning Open champion. Replays of the series can be seen on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock.
“It was kind of nice the way it turned out,” he said. “I didn’t know it was the last show, so there were no goodbyes, but that was a great way to end it. Shane was fun. It was a good show.”
He and Shane are fellow Irishmen, but only up to a point. They come from the same island, though from very different worlds, if you follow my drift.
In other Golf Channel news, they celebrated the 26th anniversary of the Arnold-Joe Gibbs announcement, and the posting of that video unleashed a Twitter storm of backlash against the recent changes at the channel. Shack posted this screenshot of representative whining:
Shack, In Full - Around New Year's I posted a bit from Geoff hinting at his new undertaking, but I've not circled back. He's obviously looking to monetize his audience, and has chosen to do so with this initiative:
It's called The Quadrilateral, and that term should have bells ringing for those familiar with golf history. Bobby Jones' 1930 Grand Slam, a term taken from bridge, was originally dubbed the Impregnable Quadrilateral by Jones' muse O.B. Keeler, a term that's simultaneously mellifluous, yet awkward to use around the house.
Ultimately, Geoff wants to have carnal knowledge of AMEX card, but thus far I'm not liking his prospects. As part of tease the offerings are available free on a trial basis here, and I'll start my tour at his mission statement:
The Quadrilateral is built around a very simple idea: the four Grand Slam events are the golf’s biggest stars and we can’t get enough of everything surrounding the Masters, P.G.A. Championship, U.S. Open and The Open.
Television ratings and general metrics back this up. Casual sports fans pay attention to majors.
Serious golfers carve out time to watch Grand Slam finishes that nearly always deliver. Even those stories of lesser-knowns take on special meaning when history is on the line.
Mix-in just how over-saturated the pro golf calendar has become—pre-pandemic anyway—and the modern impregnable quadrilateral only gets stronger.
The majors-as-superstars notion sounds blasphemous in an era when elite players and their “teams” honestly believe they are The Game. Golf would collapse—so they seem to believe—without these gifted people who were born on the 18th green with a 10 inch putt for 59, generally ignorant of generational grow-the-gamers like Old and Young Tom Morris, Willie Park Sr. and Jr., Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
But I’ve got bad news: players are coming and going faster than previous generations. Instructor Hank Haney has pointed out several times that a look at the money list from just five years ago will show a 50% turnover rate on the PGA Tour.) At the top, just 11 of 2020’s world top 25 were on the same year-end list in 2017: Johnson, Rahm, Thomas, Matsuyama, Koepka, McIlroy, Casey, Hatton, Fleetwood, Oosthuizen and Reed.
Geoff, you might want to pace yourself with the bold type face...
I suspect that's true enough, but it's not like the majors have been ignored in recent years, by Geoff or others. But perhaps the most amusing aspect is that, in making the case for his new venture, he does a pretty damn effective job in make the case against the Premier League:
No generational superstar is emerging nor do any pose a threat to the all-time top ten. Barring equipment rules that restore lost skills or a super-human unphased by money, even a generational superstar will find it hard to stand out.
Look to the Premier Golf League concept for proof that star power is more fleeting.
The upstart tour of events has created a clever franchise concept whereby proven stars hold a vested interest in the “league”. For sharing their name to launch a new pro golf model, they are dangled the chance to eventually cash out in exchange for their risk-taking. A potential $100 million or more payday awaits. Here’s the hitch: every time anyone intrigued by the concept went through the top names, only a handful of players qualified as franchise-worthy. And several of those names are on their career 16th hole facing a changing game built around speed.
Consider potential franchisees from 2017 and where they stand now. Spieth, Day, Stenson, Garcia, Rose and Fowler would have been no-brainers for the Premier Golf League three years ago. Fast-forward and they’re still active players and upstanding citizens—well maybe not Sergio some days—but each has fallen to a lower-tier in just over 1000 days.
Good work, Geoff, you've completely soured me on that Premier League, though you'll discern many of my own arguments therein. But why do I need to pay you for that which has been available free?
Shall we take a gander at some of his early offerings? He hits the motherlode, one would think, in launching this in January and, within an hour-and-half, a need arises for a replacement venue for the 2022 PGA Championship. He frames that issue thusly:
PGA's Big Decision: Should The Other 2022 Major Venues Matter?
With St Andrews And The Country Club Set To Host In 2022, Will Course Cachet Influence The PGA of America's Board?
Course Cachet? From the folks that take us to Valhalla and Quail Hollow? If only...
Geoff also takes us through this rather lengthy and silly analysis of previous St. Andrews years:
Also factoring into this first of First World matters: the PGA Championship was played in August when Trump Bedminster was selected. Glory’s Second Shot now exits the stage for whatever powerhouse venue the USGA or R&A have planned (and they certainly sport formidable lineups for both the men and women over the next decade). The PGA of America made some rough August landings following a magical week in the Auld Grey Toon:
2015 - Chambers Bay, The Old Course, Whistling Straits
2010 - Pebble Beach, The Old Course Whistling Straits
2005 - Pinehurst, The Old Course, Baltusrol
2000 - Pebble Beach, The Old Course, Valhalla
1995 - Shinnecock Hills, The Old Course, Riviera
1990 - Medinah No. 3, The Old Course, Shoal Creek
1984 - Winged Foot, The Old Course, Shoal Creek
1978 - Cherry Hills, The Old Course, Oakmont
1970 - Hazeltine National, The Old Course, Southern Hills
1964 - Congressional, The Old Course, Columbus CC
The point being that they should select the best venue possible? Gee, thanks for that blinding insight...
Of course, isn't the problem the fact that the organization thinks Valhalla and Quail Hollow are the best alternatives, and they don't yet have a vaccine for that.
Riffing on the Tiger news, Geoff has this to offer:
Considering Tiger's Major Future
Hopes Are Fading After Another Back Surgery, But There Should Be Opportunities (With Golf God Assistance)
He does a venue-by-venue deep dive, so what you make of it:
So again, assuming a recovery, the motivation to prepare and course setups testing a wide array of skills, here are Tiger’s best chances at contending in upcoming majors:2021 U.S. Open, Torrey Pines - He loves the place and while a 7600-yard U.S. Open course now looks like bomb and gouge paradise, crazy things sometimes happen when Tiger exits the 5 and rolls into Torrey.2021 Open Championship, Royal St. George’s - Links golf remains his best shot to pick off another major. At Carnoustie in 2018 he played two iffy shots to Francesco Molinari’s zero final round mistakes. That was the difference in what was an otherwise underrated Woods performance.2022 Masters - Even assuming his chances of returning to Augusta this year are 50-50, maybe Fred Ridley will shock us and get rid of the long fairway cut pushed toward tees to eliminate roll. A faster-running course would restore some of the links-inspired fire that Bobby Jones envisioned and adored by Tiger. We can all dream.2022 PGA Championship, TBD - Tiger likes Kerry Haigh’s setups and a return to Southern Hills, Valhalla or Baltusrol gives him a shot given his playing record at those former PGA sites. He needs a crispy setup like Harding this summer, a big “if” with the PGA’s springtime date where the courses could be subjected to wet springs.2022 U.S. Open, The Country Club - This does not figure to be launcher’s heaven. Then again, Winged Foot was not supposed to be such a spot either. Tiger was 1-3-1 in the 1999 Ryder Cup there if that means anything. It doesn’t.
2022 Open Championship, The Old Course - He dominated in 2000 and 2005. Unlike in recent years when he has jetted into the UK the Sunday of Open week and taken a few days to acclimate, maybe he and Charlie will arrive a week early, play some links golf and something magical happens.2023 Masters - Fred Ridley sees Dustin Johnson drive it 415 yards to the bottom of the 15th fairway after the mowing pattern change and finally decides to introduce a Masters ball spec for 2023. Tiger’s friends at Bridgestone make him a ball he loves while Titleist ambassadors pout in protest. Strategy returns and Woods edges 53-year-old Phil Mickelson in sudden death. And no, edibles were not part of my evening repertoire.2023 U.S. Open, Los Angeles Country Club (North) - A return to his native southern California on the kind of strategic test he adores. It will be firm and fast.2023 Open Championship, Hoylake - The Golf Gods get the place baked out again and he never has to hit driver. Again. Sequelization, baby! That’s what they call it in Hollywood. Who says golf can’t get in on the action too?
So, all of them then? But the real question is did we learn anything new from the post? Alas, I certainly didn't, and will be reluctant to get sucked into paying therefor.
The Prefect Exit Piece - How can this not be a hoot, right?
Caught in the act: 13 cringeworthy stories of cheating on the golf course
Are you familiar with the stupid criminal meme? You know the type, perps who are so dumb you'd almost have to believe it's a cry for help. This is a worthy entry in that genre:
I was competing in a junior tournament, playing in a foursome. One of the players hit his ball to the right in the woods. We offered to help find it, but he quickly told us that he already did. Although we could not see him, his next shot rather loudly hit a tree. From there he played out to the fairway, on the green and two-putted. When the player keeping his scorecard asked what he made, our woodsman said 6. The player asked if he had lost a ball in the woods. He told him no, and asked why would you think that. The guy paused and said, “I guess you hit that tree so hard that the ball changed colors. Sorry for questioning your honesty.” Sure enough, the guy had an orange ball on the tee, but finished with a white one. How he thought we wouldn’t notice that is beyond me. —Golf Digest panelist
Doesn't that graphic seem problematic in the current moment. I mean, I had been reliably informed that we are to believe all women...
Now, was this guy's name Gaylord?
About 10 years ago I joined a new club. I had finally finished the membership process and the next Saturday was a fine May day, 70 degrees with a gentle breeze. I showed up at the club and was paired with a member I didn’t know. I noticed that he kept applying lip balm before each tee shot, putting the stick back into his pocket each time without the cap. I figured that he just lost it. We had a friendly match, with a little money at stake, and I wound up owing him a few dollars at the end; figured it was the cost of doing business. He invited me to play the next week, and the weather was similarly beautiful. He continued to apply more chapstick than I thought humanly possible, and once again had “lost” the cap. Furthermore, he seemed to fiddle around a lot with his pocket before taking his ball out and teeing it up. I eventually asked another member about the guy, and was told I was playing with the “Lip Bomber.” That was the nickname he’d gotten from other members (unbeknownst to him) since due to his reputation for spreading the stuff on his ball before he teed it up. Hadn’t seen that before or since. —Golf Digest panelist
One puts a foreign subject on a baseball so that its path becomes unpredictable to the batter. Why would you do that to a golf ball, where you want to go the intended direction?
I've heard versions of this one from countless folks:
I heard this anecdote recently: Years ago in a member-guest at a pretty well-known New York club, a guest couldn’t find his tee shot on a blind par-3 hole. The foursome looked everywhere for the ball, finally finding something in the high grass. “Yep, that’s mine,” the guy proclaimed. He managed to hack his ball out, then chip to 40 feet, lying 3. Someone in the group took out the pin and, sure enough, the guy’s actual tee shot was in the bottom of the cup. A hole-in-one! Needless to say, the guy didn’t get invited back. —Golf Digest panelist
The most recent version from a golf buddy also took place at a NY club, though it was a blind second shot. In that telling, the perp's last words as he slunk off was, "Please don't tell anyone." To which the appropriate response is to tell everyone.
I'll see you later in the week. There was a news item that I started to blog above, but decided that it might be suitable for a long-form treatment, assuming I can find enough online material to cite. Hopefully by laying down this marker I'll actually deliver.
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