It'll be only a sorta-kinda weekend wrap, as the actual golf from the weekend quickly fades into insignificance. For instance, the golf tournament in Detroit was only the third most important story emanating therefrom.... third, at best.
Dateline: Motor City - I'm sorry, but not only can Phil be the most self-important buffoon on the planet, but the confluence of his epic PGA win and today's made-for-TV boondoggle almost ensured that it would come to pass.
I don't always agree with Eamon Lynch, but I do pretty much always want to hear his thoughts (yanno, before rejecting them out of hand):
The relationship between professional athletes and the press is fraught by its very nature, moreso in the wake of Naomi Osaka suggesting that media questioning is injurious to her mental health. However, at this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, two of golf’s biggest stars seemed more concerned about damage to their pride and ego.
Start with Phil Mickelson. He took exception to a Detroit News article detailing how he had been cheated out of a gambling win more than 20 years ago by a local bookie with ties to organized crime. Mickelson’s attorney acknowledged the accuracy of the report, but the six-time major winner fixated on the timing of it, suggesting it was an effort to embarrass him and the tournament. He repeatedly slammed the author of the story as “opportunistic,” “selfish” and “divisive,” then declared he wouldn’t return to the event.
“The lack of appreciation—I don’t see me coming back,” he fumed. “It’s hard for me or somebody to come in and bring other people and bring other entities involved to help out because you’re constantly being torn down, as opposed to brought together and built up.”
Divisive? he seems to have adopted the language of the woke mobs, as if he's competing in the victimhood Olympics. But I do like that Eamon at least acknowledges the troubling status of the sporting press, although Naomi is the least of it. The fundamental issue is the need for access, which which is the root cause of the sycophancy typically on display.
Better yet, Eamon acknowledges that Phil is perhaps selflessly taking a bullet for all those similarly situated:
Mickelson has a point: If any other PGA Tour player fears it being revealed that he was soaked for $500,000 by a mobbed-up Michigan bookie then he might indeed have second thoughts about playing in Detroit, but Phil seems to have cornered the market on that status for now. The only person threatening adverse consequences for the Rocket Mortgage Classic and its charitable causes as a direct result of this story was Mickelson himself.
And perhaps getting stiffed by the mobster in Detroit made it seem appropriate to not satisfy his own gambling debts (bailed out by Callaway and Billy Walters, that we know of).
The events revealed by the Detroit News are old, but that doesn’t make it old news. The detailshad not previously been reported, and it’s indisputably news when a famous athlete is taken for a half-million by a shady gambler. Nevertheless, Mickelson’s outrage found predictable support among those social media lickspittles who are always eager to be seen by celebrities as loyal supplicants, pitiably slobbering for a like, retweet or (praise be!) a reply.
Mickelson has every right to object to coverage he considers unfair, but underlying his response is a troubling expectation that media must function as cheerleaders when the Tour comes to town, and that failure to do so—by writing unflattering stories about him, for example—hurts the event and its charitable beneficiaries. Conflating his embarrassment with damage to the Rocket Mortgage Classic is preposterous, and accusing a reporter of deliberately hurting citizens in a deprived city by denying them the pleasure of his presence is bush league nonsense.
Many will consider the gambling, illegal though it may be, as a victimless crime, but that seems to me to be going easy on the lad. The activity was clearly illegal, but it's the involvement of organized crime that should have everyone recoiling in horror. The story is about Phil getting stiffed, but he might have been lucky there. Has anyone thought through the implications if the the bets had gone the other direction? What if Phil, a man with a documented history of not satisfyingly his losing bets, had owed this mobster a half million large? Care to consider how they might have recouped? Are we that certain that his travails on the 18th at Winged Foot were, you know, organic?
This week's Tour Confidential led with this story:
1. Ahead of the Rocket Mortgage, Phil Mickelson took issue with the timing of a Detroit News story that reported that a noted Detroit bookie testified in 2007 that he placed one or more large bets on Mickelson’s behalf but was unable to pay the $500,000 he owed afterward. “I’m disappointed they would curiously pick this week to write an article about a bet that was made over 20 years ago and a jury trial that took place in 2007, where the guy who was convicted is dead and where the only purpose for this article is to embarrass Phil Mickelson,” Mickelson’s lawyer, Glenn Cohen, told ESPN. After Thursday’s round, Mickelson hinted that he wouldn’t return to Detroit, only to backtrack slightly on Friday when he said he would return if 50,000 people sign a petition and agree to do “one random act of kindness for another member of the community.” Much to unpack here, but we’ll ask this: Is Mickelson justified in being upset?
Alan Bastable: I’m mystified by the whole episode. Phil’s smart enough to know that his tweet storm has driven way more attention to the article than it otherwise would have enjoyed. But clearly the report pushed Mickelson’s buttons, and he wasn’t willing to just let it go. Theargument that Phil and his gambling buddies getting stiffed for half a mil by a shady bookie isn’t newsworthy is a head-scratcher, regardless of how many years ago it happened. No, it’s not A1 news, but it’s news, especially given Phil’s history. Also, for a Detroit paper to hold the story for the week that the Tour is in town — and when the city is particularly attuned to golf — is local journalism 101. Last thought: Given the piece was behind a paywall for a while, one wonders how many of the story’s critics actually, you know, read it.Dylan Dethier: Bastable pretty much nailed this one, so I’ll second his entire description, but add this: No, I don’t think Mickelson is necessarily justified in being upset, but I’m not sure that’s the point, because I do wonder if he has realized that taking aim at a popular punching bag (the media) is a popular move with plenty of his loyal fans. Approval rating for Mickelson vs. Snell is decidedly one-sided.
Josh Sens: I third the motions above. There’s a lot not to like about “the media,” but blaming it for any coverage you don’t like is lazy and lame. So was his threat to boycott the tournament as payback. Fortunately, Phil realized the silliness of his first reaction and came back with a more reasonable one on his mulligan.
Nick Piastowski: Fourthed! This is the media doing their job, and in Snell’s and the Detroit News’ case, doing it well. There’s been buzz of late of whether the unflattering should be uncovered, and though, yes, I, too, am a member of the media, it’s tough to imagine a world where the only news we got was the hand-crafted kind from the athletes and leagues themselves. Also, I’m curious as to why Mickelson kept poking at this — he was still responding to tweets about it as late as last night. Seems odd to me.
We had just finished decrying the media's sycophancy towards their subjects, and they go full frontal obsequious....about their colleagues.
Fortunately Phil's retreat is noted above, so I don't have to waste any vitriol on that random act of kindness nonsense.... I just assume there will be an audit trail to ensure those obligations are satisfied before he returns to Detroit. Though I'm a bit amused by his reliance on the subject of divisiveness, for instance this piece:
‘I don’t want to be divisive:’ Phil Mickelson makes deal after gambling story uproar
Don't worry your pretty little head, Phil. You're uniting us in the conviction that you can be the biggest horse's ass in the game...
Dylan Dethier has an interesting take on the story in his Monday Finish feature, focusing on Phil's use of social media. He begins his piece at Golf Twitter's Ground Zero:
One million years ago, in 2009, athletes — and professional golfers (*ba-dum tss*) — started joining Twitter. It’s easy to forget just how big a change this was, because suddenly pros could deliver information directly to their fans, taking the middle-man media at least partially out of the flow of information. If a player wanted to give a particular quote, release a statement or offer his or her side of the story, that could suddenly be done directly.
Stewart Cink joined Twitter in February 2009. Ian Poulter and Rickie Fowler in April. Bubba Watson followed suit that September. Golf’s Twitter pioneers were on the frontier. Phil Mickelson was not.
Stewart Cink? Really?
The reason I'm amused is that, as you might recall, the ProV1 was introduced in 2000 ( I won't bore you at this time with the Nike version and Tiger's resulting advantage at Pebble and the Old Course). As players jumped on the solid core ball, there was one notorious Luddite who simply could not accommodate himself to this change. Yes, the very same Stewart Cink.
Of course the other amusement in that timing is that I'm guessing that Cink took a break from Twitter in July of 2009, when he became the most hated man in golf.
But back to the present:
But forget the details of all the above. This is social media. There’s no requirement for consistency or 360-degree reasoning. It’s PIP season, and it’s clout-chasing season, and this week it became clear that Mickelson has learned the most important (if nihilistic) lessons of wielding social media power: pick fights and rally your followers. Us against them. This is the approach Brooks Koepka has taken against Bryson DeChambeau. It’s the approach that has helped turn Barstool Sports into one of the world’s largest media companies. It’s the approach that has shaped plenty of our American political systems over the last half-decade. It works. Mickelson issued a grievance and his followers rallied to that grievance. They were more than ready to jump to his defense. If turned into a popularity contest — Snell vs. Mickelson — well, one of them didn’t stand a chance.
Are you trying to tell us that there were no fans in "Snell is God" T-shirts over the weekend? It works in a sense, but towards what end?
One last bit from Dylan:
My best guess is that Mickelson’s motivations for taking him on with strongly-worded phrases like “self-centered opportunism” are simple and twofold:
- Prevent future similarly “negative” coverage. What local reporter is now going to write a Mickelson story without this episode in the back of his or her mind?
- It felt good. He immediately experienced the benefits, online and in real life, as fans and followers rallied to support him. It was certainly the most support he has received for a T74 finish.
But was it as satisfying as sticking that shiv into Tom Watson?
Geoff's post on this subject is also worth your time. he blogs the Eamon Lynch piece and also aggregates some of the social media reactions, but it's this bit that I'd like to share:
This sad dance around a completely unfounded victimhood sensibility is why we’re subjected to American TV golf announcers piling on with an excessive compliments just minutes after having dared to say someone pulled a putt or looks like they’re nervous. And the announcers are making the right call. It takes just one player to decided he’s been wronged, even when it’s a player of no consequence whose disciplinary file is housed in the Global Home’s extra heavy-duty safe.
That Mickelson did not receive a public rebuttal from Commissioner Jay Monahan for dragging a sponsor into this was surprising. I’m fairly certain Tim Finchem or Deane Beman would not have tolerated Mickelson’s misunderstanding of media’s role or his regrettable decision to unfairly draw a sponsor and city into the the discussion. Especially when it’s a corporate partner as strong as Rocket Mortgage trying to revive Detroit and build the stop into a special event.
But times have changed. Players run the show. God forbid someone ask them why they layed-up on a par-5 or what they had for breakfast. Plenty of fans will agree with their victimhood stance. But just as many will find golfers to be soft, silly and out of touch with reality if they keep protesting over anything but a deep tissue shoulder massage.
Shack's faith in Tim Finchem is, at best, ahistorical, as it's Nurse Ratched that is largely responsible for the policy of omertà that governs Tour disciplinary actions. But more substantively, we had a player publicly threatening a major sponsor, and from the Tour we get....crickets. So, Jay, what Phil basically said to you is, "Nice little Tour you have. Sure would be a shame ifg anything happened to it". Any response?
Dateline: Detroit (Part II) - Eamon Lynch is apparently also not a Bryson fan:
Not so uncharacteristic was the misstep of Bryson DeChambeau, whose Wednesday pressconference was notable for his insistence that a final-nine 44 when leading the U.S. Open two weeks ago was down to “luck.” He refused to speak with media after playing Thursday and Friday on his way to missing the cut. It happens that players sometimes blow off the press after a lousy day. It’s not a capital offense. But DeChambeau wasn’t ducking questions about poor play but rather inquiries about why his longtime, long-suffering caddie Tim Tucker quit between a Wednesday practice round and a Thursday tee time. Those questions can and will wait until next time.
More significantly, DeChambeau was the defending champion at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He is also personally sponsored by Rocket Mortgage. At least one of those attachments comes with obligations that a mature professional would honor. Ignoring both might reasonably have Rocket Mortgage wondering what exactly they are paying for.
Obligations? Yeah, that's a good one.... Of course, Rocket seems to suffer from battered spouse syndrome, since this isn't the first time Bryson has acted poorly on their watch:
It was at this event in 2020 that DeChambeau was widely criticized for suggesting—after a terse exchange with a cameraman who filmed him reacting angrily to a bad shot—that golf media needed to protect his brand and not show players in a poor light. For all his positive attributes, DeChambeau struggles to handle the emotions that attend uncomfortable questioning by the press. That he seems no better equipped for it this year than he was last year reflects poorly on his willingness to learn, or on his team’s willingness to teach.
It might actually reflect more the Tour's refusal to name and shame....
The Tour Confidential panel got to this issue as well:
2. Hours before he started his defense at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Bryson DeChambeau and his longtime caddie, Tim Tucker, announced that they were parting ways, with DeChambeau’s agent, Brett Falkoff saying the relationship had “run its course.” DeChambeau would use Ben Schomin of Cobra/Puma Golf, shoot rounds of 72 and 71, and miss the cut. With DeChambeau well known to tinker and adjust, often for hours after a round, what type of caddie would best help him going forward?
Bastable: Tour pros are complicated beasts, and Bryson is certainly no exception. Effective caddies are expert psychologists as much as they are strategists. DeChambeau seemed to most value Tucker’s “calming effect,” once noting: “He’s super easy and cool and collected. Whatever I say, it doesn’t bother him at all.” Presumably more of that vibe would benefit the tightly wound DeChambeau. Night vision would also be a bonus. Who knows, Tucker may resurface by Bryson’s side again one day. After all, this wasn’t their first break-up.
Dethier: DeChambeau is admittedly a demanding boss. He needs someone who will tolerate that demanding nature — standing on the range all night, for one thing, and working with endless measuring, theorizing and tinkering, for another, while still having the confidence to step in when DeChambeau needs an outside voice of reason. That’s not impossible to find, but it’s a tougher plug-in than for another player of similar ability (of which there aren’t many).
Sens: Patient. Punctilious. And ideally not a parent to young children, as that caddie is going to be busy most days and evenings. But it would be more interesting — and maybe even more productive — if he went with the opposite: some old-school looper whose idea of high-science stopped at tossing a few blades up and pulling a club. Someone who might say, every now and then, yo, Bryson, we don’t need to consult Euclid before you strike this putt. Just give it a once-over, feel it with your feet and let it go. Opposites can work in marriages. And in player-caddie pairings.
Piastowski: Someone who is both patient and a counter-puncher. Bryson, as we know, is a man of strong opinion. You know what challenges those people best? Not a bunch of yes men. Of course, at the same time, that person better be up for a debate. On another note, I asked a caddie friend whether he’d take the job, and he quickly said yes — the challenge of carrying the bag for the casino/mad scientist/power lifter is maybe the most unique on Tour.
Player-caddie splits are the quintessential dog-bites-man story, though here the timing and personality leant some interest to the story.
Dateline: Moonlight Basin, MT - So, anyone know what our two protagonists might have planned for today? Is it a coincidence that they both acted out this weekend? Maybe, though here at Unplayable Lies we don't believe in coincidences:
The fourth installment of The Match, this time between Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady against Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers, is Tuesday night.
This made-for-TV event should be a lot of fun and the course at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana, will provide a stunning backdrop for some (hopefully) great golf shots and (guaranteed) trash talk.
The four participants made time for the media on Monday on consecutive conference calls, where the hot takes were flying.
Rodgers got in an early dig when he commented on Mickelson’s third-from-the-bottom finish Sunday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
“Phil coming off a solid T-70 in Detroit. He made three birdies on his last five holes to get to T-70."
He's at least smart enough to acknowledge that his guy didn't do any better....
"Bryson missed the cut, so not much better.”
Where I hail from, that's actually worse...
But it seems that Aaron is auditioning for the role played by Brady in the second installment:
Rodgers went on to say he hasn’t been playing much golf.
“I’ve literally played eight rounds since last August. That’s not a made up stat,” he said before quickly correcting himself. “Sorry, I might have exaggerated. I think I’ve played nine rounds since last August. Last training camp, I played with my good friend Andy North. We had some good matches together.
This hard sell seems at best optimistic:
Golf geeks can rejoice about possible Mickelson-DeChambeau banter during The Match
Bryson? For his banter? Good luck with that...
Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, the PGA Tour’s nutty professor and mad scientist, willface off against each other on Tuesday in The Match 4 with a couple of NFL quarterbacks by their sides. Mickelson’s got Tom Brady as a partner and DeChambeau draws Aaron Rodgers, and though good fun should be expected all around, we will warn you now that Mickelson plans to reprise some of the deep, deep golf technical talk that he and DeChambeau have engaged in during numerous practice rounds on tour. And for anybody who saw The Match 3, you know Phil can yak with the best of them.
I certainly agree that Phil guiding Charles Barkley through Version 3.0 of this franchise proved to be good fun, though Sir Charles could well prove to be the secret sauce (he will be a commentator). I just don't expect that Phil micro-managing the humorless Tom Brady to have the same amusement value, unless Brady's pants split yet again.
What is of some interest to me is the venue, though mostly because of skiing. Back in 2013, Big Sky acquired the Moonlight Basin ski resort and created one of the largest ski areas in the country:
The resort's owners purchased neighboring resorts, Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks in August, and debuted the transformed mega resort -- now the largest in the country -- during the Thanksgiving holiday.
"The acquisitions make Big Sky the big boy on the U.S. alpine skiing and snowboarding scene," says Brett French of the Billings Gazette. "The combination means more than 30 lifts, 4,350 vertical feet of drop and 5,750 total acres for riders to roam. In comparison, the other big dog — the tony Vail Mountain Resort in Colorado — has about 5,300 acres and 3,450 vertical feet."
The new Big Sky is treating skiers to the longest vertical run in the lower 48 states.
Park City, now combined with the Canyons, offers a gaudy 7,300 acres, but Vail is driving so much traffic there that I may need to move on at some point. Accordingly, I'm interested to see the Moonlight Basin golf course, which features scenes such as these:
4. On Tuesday, the fourth edition of the Match will be played, when the team of Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady take on the team of Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers at Moonlight Basin in Montana. What are you looking for from this iteration of what has become a staple on the golf calendar?Bastable: First off, the Mickelson-DeChambeau dynamic. Both are big personalities with go-for-broke playing styles. Will be interesting to see how/if they mesh on this kind of stage. Also curious to see how/if Brady bounces back from his ignominious start at the last Match — talk about scar tissue! Lastly, intrigued to see Moonlight Basin in action. The mountainous setting looks spectacular, but I hear it’s also a beast.
Dethier: Moonlight Basin could yield some 400-plus yard drives at elevation. Let’s see the ball fly through that scenery!
Sens: I’ll see your 400 and raise you 100. I’m expecting a 500-plus yard bomb from Bryson. Whether his smack-talk game is any good in person will also be interesting. Cheeky remarks on Twitter don’t count.
Piastowski: Charles Barkley commentary and some sort of Brooks Koepka appearance. This is a Hollywood event, so let’s Hollywood it up.
Phil and Bryson are insufficiently insufferable, so we need frat-boy Brooks in the mix? Good thing my remote just happens to have a mute button....
Dateline: Gullane, Scotland - I'm only going to go so deep here, but Shack has one of his Quadrilateral newsletters out celebrating links season. Of course, like everything else, links season isn't what it used to be:
The Scottish Open and Open Championship play out over the next two weeks at Renaissance Club and Royal St George’s. Both figure to be full of pent-up excitement due to a nearly-two-year separation from championship links golf.
Golf’s equivalent of the grass court season is a relatively new thing and would be better if the Irish Open could become more links-focused. (Rumors of a date after The Open could help keep players around, but they should stay seaside if possible.)
From 1995 to 2010 the Scottish was played at the inland Loch Lomond. Before that, it was primarily played at Gleneagles with one Old Course visit and a couple of Carnoustie stops. Since 1987 the Opens have been played back-to-back but only since 2011 has the Scottish been offering a linksy tune-up. That’s thanks largely to Aberdeen Assets’ Martin Gilbert (now retired and a European Tour board member), who sought links and American TV. The Gilbert years received enthusiastic support from First Minister Alex Salmond and the European Team of George O’Grady, vaulting the event to another level. The field this week reflects their efforts and we may learn of a new co-sanctioned status for the Scottish soon.
Jon Rahm turns up as does Rory McIlroy. They’re joined by Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele to give them five of the world top ten. Other notables include Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Henrik Stenson and Francesco Molinari, with three last-minute spots to The Open available.
The Scottish Open was once played on the Old Course? I had to Google to confirm that it was back in 1973, perhaps explaining why your humble blogger has no memory of it. Props to the Aberdeen Asset Management folks for making it a links warm-up, though it's been far too long at the Renaissance Club for this observer's taste. That said, since they don't have an option of Open venues, it's a fairly short list of possible sites. Castle Stuart worked well, even when the weather didn't cooperate, because it made for an easier week, and the guys logically don't want to be punished the week before they're potentially punished at the Open Championship. Gullane and Royal Aberdeen were also welcome stops, and there's this newly renovated course in Ayrshire that the R&A seems to have abandoned.... I'd love to see it, but I'm not holding my breath.
The sadder part is the Irish Open, which for a bit seemed committed to links venues. That exposed the public to epic venues such as the Royals, specifically County Down and Portrush, as well as worthy and telegenic venues such as Lahinch and personal fave Ballyliffin. Waterville, anyone? Or the new Hogs Head, which has come up in conversation several times recently...
Geoff also starts his introduction to Royal St. Georges, but I'm going to keep my powder dry on that subject, at least for now. Though one last bit on TV coverage of the Scottish:
One other twist in 2021: NBC has shown the Scottish for several years, forcing a very late finish and quick turnaround to The Open. With a good bit of distance between venues this year, players will welcome an earlier evening conclusion. But an American network presence was helpful in building the event and we’ll see what happens when the PGA Tour and European Tour outline the event’s future.
That's why the good Lord gave us DVRs...
I shall bid you adieu at this juncture and catch up later in the week. Stay cool!
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