We interrupt your case of Wyndham Championship fever to.... well, maybe it doesn't matter, because there's no vaccine for that condition.
About That Memphis Event - In reading Dylan Dethier's Monday Finish feature, I realized that I forgot to include one bit from Memphis in yesterday's post, concerning a future member of the South Korean defense forces:
The 2020-21 Super Season has been feast or famine for Si Woo Kim, and the feasting has mostly come in marquee events. He grabbed his third PGA Tour victory in January, winning The American Express by one stroke over Patrick Cantlay. He also had a pair of T-9s at the Players Championship and the Memorial Tournament, plus a T-12 at Augusta National in April.
Marquee events? I don't know that there's a weaker event on Tour than the AMEX unless, yanno, it's this week's.
Since his T-9 at the Memorial, Kim has not finished inside the top 30 in any of his five starts. He'll make that a sixth on Sunday at TPC Southwind, where his late-season swoon took a particularlydark turn at the difficult par-3 11th on Sunday. Kim made a 13—yes, a 13—at the treacherous island-green hole, putting five (!!) balls in the water before finally finding dry land on his 11th shot. From just off the green, he chipped it to 12 inches, then tapped in for a baker's dozen.
At some point, you have to respect the stubborness. He could have very easily played it out to the fat side of the green after the first, second or third water balls, but he kept at it Tin Cup style, taking dead aim at the pin until he pulled it off. No word on how many balls he has left in his bag.
As is often the case in these circumstances, it's the shot tracker that conveys the carnage best:
That file was created on November 5, 2018, which Google informs would have been at the Shriners Hospital Classic in las Vegas... But we're not done yet, because there was also this file named Si Woo Kim Shot Tracker 2, with that same date:
This would seem to be the stuff of Lifetime Achievement Awards. I just don't know how we'll amuse ourselves when we lose Si Woo for eighteen months to the military.
The Dylan Dethier reference above is to this bit on that 11th hole at TPC Southwind:
COURSE TALK
Water in Memphis.
No. 11 at TPC Southwind is one of the shorter par-3s on the PGA Tour, measuring between 150and 160 yards. And even though water guards the green on three sides, pros usually have little trouble walking away with 3 or better. On Thursday, the hole played as the 13th-toughest. Friday it was 14th-toughest. Saturday it was 14th again.
But on Sunday, as the wind switched and the pin shifted and the stakes rose, too, the hole suddenly transformed. Through three rounds, just six balls had found the water on No. 11. In the fourth round alone, 18 balls splashed, including one each from the final group of Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau, who were 20 under and 17 under walking onto the tee and 18 under and 14 under walking off the green. Suddenly it was the toughest hole on the course.
Announcers pointed out on the broadcast that TPC Southwind yields more balls in the water than any other course on Tour — even more than the famed watery grounds of TPC Sawgrass. So while No. 11 stole the show on Sunday, its weekly ball count of 24 was actually just fourth-highest on course. Players hit 25 balls in the water on No. 12 this week. They hit 26 in the water at the par-5 3rd. And they hit 26 more in the water at No. 18.
Luckily they get ‘em for free.
For the record, Kim bounced back and birdied the next hole, so he was only nine over for the two hole stretch. In such a story I would normally remark that it's rare to see a touring professional struggle to such an extent, though my picture folder seems to imply that it's not even a rare event for this one player.
About That Schedule - Nothing especially new here, but I had neglected to excerpt the Tour Confidential panel's reaction to the release of the PGA Tour's 2021-22 season:
6. The PGA Tour released its new schedule for the 2021-22 season with a few new tweaks, things like a co-sanctioned European Tour event (the Scottish Open), two fewer World Golf Championships and more. What’s the most significant takeaway our readers need to know when it comes time for water-cooler chat?
Zak: Two fewer WGC’s seems like a great move, but I’m all in on the Tour propping up the big European events. The Irish and Scottish Opens fit so well in the typical Tour schedule. Elevating them actually feels like a win-win for this player-run organization.
Sens: What Sean said. Love the idea of more coverage for those events, with closer looks at venues we don’t see much of. That, and we still don’t know whether Tiger will be physically able to play next year. Or the year after. Or …
Dethier: If you like waking up to a hot breakfast and a chilly Open Championship, good news: the Irish and Scottish Opens are going big-time. The PGA Tour is piggybacking on some of what you love about the Euro Tour. I’m used to eye-rolling at these Tour announcements but these changes seemed all good, with one exception: New England needs a PGA Tour event.
Bamberger: Win the Scottish, go to the Masters.
And the award for gratuitous Tiger call-out goes to Sean Zak.... maybe someday he'll explain the linkage.
The Irish Open is an interesting case, as the PGA Tour has apparently contributed to a substantial increase in that Euro Tour event, but it's not co-sanctioned like the Scottish. What's more than a little weird is that it will now compete on the calendar with the John Deere, so once again the Tour seems to be undermining its own customers. While the event appears to have a strong sponsor in Dubai Duty Free, the organizers don't seem able to decide what they want to event to be. For a few years they took the event to some top notch links, including Portrush (in what was an Open trial run), Lahinch and our own beloved Ballyliffin. But in 2021 they went back inland, and no venue has yet been announced for 2022.
About Those Olympics - Sean Zak utilizes every little scribble from Tokyo in this marginally interesting feature:
Notebook dump! 17 things I saw, heard and learned while in Tokyo for the Olympics
He has a bit about wearing a cap with a Sebonack logo, so you'll understand the lead-in to this more interesting bit:
3. Speaking of elite Long Island courses, Fleetwood is your best tour guide. The first time he played Sebonack, years ago, it was with a half-set, and it ended with him six under through nine holes. As a result, the next time he teed it up there, during his epic quarantine return to the States, Sebonack was ready for him. Apparently after “Fleetwood” was registered on the tee sheet, the course was set up to make sure he could not break par. “I didn’t sign up for this,” he laughed, retelling the story.
That two-week stretch where he and Finnis bounced around some of the best courses in the world was understandably one of the greatest trips of their lives. They’d tell you all about it, just like they told me all about it. Maidstone, Sebonack, Shinnecock, National Golf Links. All the greats. When asked for his favorite, Fleetwood said, “If I had to play one every day, like as a member, it’d be National [Golf Links].” Not going to find much opposition there. He enjoyed how wide open it is off the tee, and from there it’s just a ball-striker’s paradise.
Nor will you find any opposition here.... Though I've never been able to mention The National without a reference to the cold lobster that start one's lunch.
9. Hopefully we’re past Olympic scheduling issues. It’s hard to imagine a worse time zone to have to jump to from England, or France or Jupiter, Fla., than Japan Standard Time. Most competitors loved Japan, and their Olympic experience, just not the commute to get there. It makes sleeping difficult, as well as properly maintaining energy. But more than anything it made players think about scheduling more than ever. Maha Haddioui was thrilled to represent Morocco in Japan, but she was missing out on a much-needed start on the Ladies European Tour. Talking with her offered a nice reminder that it’s not all just about the schedules of top 10 players, but the layers of the game beneath. You want a medal? You may have to sacrifice other opportunities. Thankfully, Paris will come after the men visit the British Isles and likely just before the women do. That’s an easy jaunt. In 2028, when the Olympics are in Los Angeles, it should be even easier for everyone.
Yes and no. Obviously the next two Olympiads are far more geographically-desirable, though it remains to be seen whether that will e sufficient to improve participation levels among the top men. But Sean might have mentioned the specific venues... Riviera is obviously not an issue, but what kind of memories do we think the top Americans have of Le Golf National?
But it turns out that there's a reason certain stories didn't travel from your notebook to the Golf.com website:
15. Being the Apple Prince was amazing. Among the daily offerings in the media center concession stand were peanut cream sandwiches (decidedly worse than peanut butter), fishsausage sticks, katsuobushi kelp rice, some re-heatable fried fish with rice, teriyaki burgers … and apples and bananas. As American as ever, I decided to spend the majority of my per diem on the fruit, and the lovely women serving the concession stand took notice. Two or three apples a day didn’t seem outrageous to me, but it was enough to earn me a nickname. “You are … Apple Prince,” they said on my seventh day in the media center. The Apple Prince! What an honor. Seriously. It was a bit lonely during the pandemic Olympics, bouncing back and forth from the course to hotel, course to hotel, and nowhere in between, due to Covid restrictions. But at the course, I had my apple people! Every time I’d walk by, they’d ask, “Apple?” We crossed paths once while I was headed to the restroom … “Apple?”
A day after I received the nickname, they demanded a selfie with me so they could show their families The Apple Prince. One of them used both hands in a motion to emphasize my skinny frame. “You are … nice guy,” she said, asking me to show the face behind my mask. I didn’t want to leave my people! But I had to go home eventually. On my last day in the media center I paid them one final visit. Just one apple, please. Their concession ring leader (who had originally gave me the nickname) ran into the back room and came out with four free apples she had privately stashed away. All for free. All for The Apple Prince. We took another selfie and I was on my way, fully stocked and a bit emotional.
Obviously Sean was born without a filter as original equipment....
About That Ryder Cup - I've been promising this for a while now, so time to make good. There's a full four weeks of qualifying left, including the Wyndham and the three FedEx Cup events. Before we dive in, a reminder that the qualification process on the American side has been substantially changed, with only six automatic qualifiers and six Captain's picks. Dylan Dethier actually got here a day before your humble blogger, providing this list of the updated automatic qualifiers:
1. Collin Morikawa
2. Dustin Johnson
3. Bryson DeChambeau
4. Brooks Koepka
5. Justin Thomas
6. Xander Schauffele
The bit that will jump out at you after his efforts last week to win friends and influence people, is that it's a mortal lock that both Bryson and Brooksie will qualify automatically. Well, perhaps not mortal, but Steve Stricker's job hasn't gotten any easier. It would seem that the only way that Bryson isn't there would be if the event were limited to only those that have been vaccinated but, despite the fact that the PGA of America has inquired about vaccination status, that doesn't seem to be in the cards.
But how do we feel about the form of those qualifiers? It's too far off to get bent out of shape, but several of those guys seem lost on a golf course, especially DJ and JT.
Of course, here's where it gets interesting, the next six:
7. Jordan Spieth
8. Harris English
9. Patrick Reed
10. Daniel Berger
11. Patrick Cantlay
12. Tony Finau
Egads, I wonder if Stricker would rather give back all those picks right now.
One can't help but focus initially on that guy in ninth place, who brings more baggage than most cruise ships. I've gotten no sense that our Ryder Cup mafia has had its fill of PReeed, but at this point who do you pair him with (and let's hope Stricker is sufficiently observant to not send him out in foursomes).
But while Harris English has had quite the nice year, how does one pick him after his Sunday at TPC Southwind? Even Spieth is an odd case, though most folks would believe him to be a grizzled and tenacious team member. Problem is that our Jordan has never won a singles match in Ryder or Prez Cups, and has lost a few of those in a pretty awful fashion.
Care for a quick glance at other options? Dylan has more of that current list:
13. Webb Simpson
14. Scottie Scheffler
15. Jason Kokrak
16. Billy Horschel
17. Sam Burns
18. Phil Mickelson
19. Max Homa
20. Will Zalatoris
It doesn't get any easier, does it? The Webber is a guy I'd have considered a mortal lock just a few months ago, but he's on quite the awful run. There were those who through the same of Billy Ho when he won in Austin, but he's really one of the weakest putters on tour.
But what is to be done with that guy in 18th place? First question would have to be, are we trying to win this thing? The second question is who's call is it really?
First point to make is that his win at Kiawah was quite the thing, though it's unfortunately the only thing:
Suffice to say, Phil Mickelson is going to cause Steve Stricker to put this theory to the test in the coming weeks. Mickelson’s victory at the PGA in May was one of the biggest golf stories of 2021, the then 50-year-old becoming the oldest winner in major championship history. But the Kiawah win is the only top-10 finish Mickelson has had in the last 12 months and the only top-20 finish in 2021. Since the victory, Lefty has missed two cuts in his next five starts with his best finish in the other three being a T-61 in the Travelers Championship.
But this bit can't survive a fact check:
Of course, Mickelson’s history in the event makes him no ordinary Ryder Cup candidate, not to mention the fact he’s an influential voice among tour pros. But if his game is not on, taking him is a risky decision. One Mickelson himself isn’t sure Stricker should make.
If by influential you mean his hostile takeover of the event and the fact that he got Stricker the captain job, sure. But I completely agree that Phil's history in the event is not ordinary, in fact it's quite extraordinary for a man of his golf C.V.:
Mickelson's Cup curriculum vitae isn't much better. Lefty leads the U.S. with 47 matches played in 12 Ryder Cups. But his record is 18-22-7, including zero points in two matches in France in 2018.
Feeble and futile are the words that come to mind... And that doesn't even accommodate his showing up to the 2004 cup with new equipment and a new ball, and the two captains into whom he stuck a shiv. Shockingly for Phil, he at least gives the appearance of understanding the tenuous position in which he's placed Stricker:
Indeed, if Stricker is looking for an out, Mickelson might have provided him with one this weekend.
“I haven't had a top-10 outside of the PGA,” Mickelson told ESPN on Saturday after his third round in Memphis. "You can't take somebody that is that inconsistent. I have three events, here and the two playoff events. And if I finish high in those events and move up on the list, you never know. But you have to have a little bit more consistency and momentum I think.”
Phil did not have a horrible week in Memphis, finishing T17. Does that qualify as a "high finish"? beats me, but given that you can't possibly play him in foursomes and his experimentation with arm-lock putting doesn't indicate a man comfortable with how he's rolling it, this seems a good proxy for whether or not we're trying to win this thing. Or, yanno, just to let the cool kids hang out together like we usually do.
I'll tackle the Euro side in out next installment, but will call a lid at this juncture.
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