Awoke Monday morning relieved to have power, but with the ominous red-pink aura emanated from the mesh router. Turned out, it was a good morning to finish my book.
We'll see how Hideki's Hawaiian Holiday looks a day later, as well as get to some stories that are not exactly timely.
Sony Suspense - It was Russell Henley's tournament all week, until it wasn't:
Walking to the 10th tee, a dejected Hideki Matsuyama was five shots behind pace-setting Russell Henley with nine holes to play in Sunday’s final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.The reigning Masters champion had just failed to birdie the ninth hole, the easiest on the course at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, and Henley was blazing after going birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle to turn in 29 to jump to a huge advantage.No chance for Matsuyama, right?Wrong.Matsuyama stormed back with a 31 on the back nine to force a playoff as the two played in the final group and then defeated Henley on the first extra hole when he rifled a 3-wood from 276 yards to just two feet on the par-5 18th and made the eagle putt for his third title in his last 17 PGA Tour starts.“It was a perfect number for me for a cut 3-wood, 276 yards left to right, follow wind,” Matsuyama said. “I knew the green was soft enough to hold it, and I was able to pull it off.”
Apparently quite the shot, though not exactly needed, since he beat Henley by three on the hole. Of course, your humble blogger was watching football like any reasonable sports fan.
The Tour Confidential panel took a stab at Hideki's 3-wood but, really guys, it's the Sony:
3. Hideki Matsuyama trailed Russell Henley by five at the turn on Sunday of the Sony Open, but Matsuyama played the back nine in five-under to shoot 63 and force a playoff. Then came the shot of the week (and since it’s just January, the year): a towering 3-wood from 277 yards out on the first playoff hole to set up a kick-in eagle and his eighth career PGA Tour victory. Where does it rank among the most awe-inspiring shots in recent memory?Berhow: I’m going to fail miserably to give it proper context in a ranking, but to hit a 3-wood that far, with that kind of ball speed and to have it land that softly on a green is something my own game is not familiar with. With apologies to this tournament, I don’t think we’ll be talking about this shot years from now or anything, but man, that was fun to watch.
I'd rebut such nonsense, but Josh Sens does it for me:
Sens: Don’t want to sound jaded here, but nowadays on Tour, shots like that aren’t ridiculously outlandish, not for someone of Hideki’s gifts playing modern equipment. I’m not sure exactly how to rank it, but when you weigh the magnitude of the event and the probabilities of the shot itself, I’d say Rahm’s putt on 18 last year at Torrey was probably tougher. And don’t even get me started on Corey Pavin’s 4-wood to 18 at Shinnecock. But I’m dating myself.Piastowski: The shot was so, so good. Don’t forget what Matsuyama’s opponent in the playoff, Russell Henley, did with his third shot, from about 150 yards closer — he airmailed it over the green. In recent memory — I’m thinking the past two or so years — Collin Morikawa driving the green on the 16th at Harding at the 2020 PGA is tops, and Rahm’s putt that Sens mentioned is No. 2. But Matsuyama’s shot is definitely in the conversation.Reilly: We’re talking about a shot at the Sony Open, right?! I mean, it was a great shot. I’d be talking about it for the rest of my life if I hit it. Matsuyama is one of the best ball-strikers in the world, and this shot was a reminder of that. But when I think about all-time great shots, I think about those that happened in majors and marquee events. I can’t put this in that conversation. I’ll enjoy watching the replay at Sony Opens for years to come. Hell of a shot!
Good comeback and a great shot (apparently), but not an important shot. But at least the guys didn't go full Brandel on us, so we've got that going for us.
A Three-Dog Morning - Hey, it can be awfully cold when these guys make their one pass, but three does seem like a better number. So, who's got next?
Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will welcome another longtime friend to the 1st tee at the Masters later this year as Tom Watson has been announced as an honorary starter by Augusta National.Masters Chairman Fred Ridley made the announcement Tuesday morning in a press release, saying, “I am honored that Tom has accepted our invitation. I look forward to commemorating his love for the game and impact on the Masters with his millions of fans across the globe as he hits a tee shot alongside two of the Tournament’s other all-time greats, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.”Watson, 72, is a fitting character for the annual duty as he led one of the more impressive, elongated careers in the history of the tournament. Watson’s Masters career spanned 43 years, where he amassed the 5th-best career scoring average (72.74) in tournament history. While his number of green jackets (2) is less than his 1st-tee compadres, both of those wins came in contention alongside Nicklaus and Player.
Well, yeah! He's got both the global stature as well as Augusta success, so he very much fits the profile.
There is one laugh-out-loud funny part of this that I'll get to without delay. To wit, Tom Watson and Gray Player are not the closest of pals... In fact, if you thought a Clifford Roberts helmed Butler Cabin jack ceremony could be awkward, that first tee in April could be downright frosty. Here's the gist of it, in Unplayable Lies Point-Counterpoint fashion, beginning with that inaugural Skins Game:
ABOUT an hour after Gary Player won $150,000 with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole in TheSkins Game golf event yesterday, Tom Watson accused the South African, who won a total of $170,000, of having cheated on the previous hole by removing a rooted leaf that was resting against his ball.''Tom thought that I'd moved a leaf that I shouldn't have,'' Gary Player said later, ''but I told him I didn't, and he accepted that. And that's the way we left it.''
Now Tom does seem a bit excitable here:
From 30 feet away, Tom Watson could be heard saying, ''I'm accusing you, Gary . . . you can't do that . . . I'm tired of this . . . I wasn't watching you, but I saw it.'' Gary Player could be heard defending himself, saying at one point, ''I was within the rules.''
The best part being that Pravda is just too polite to share the best bit, this hot mic classic:
"Gary, we're gettin' sick of this shit.”
Gettin? For while he's golf's Global ambassador, he's got a whiff about him on this subject.
So, for the Tom, you ignorant, slut moment?
Gary Player accuses Tom Watson of cheating to win the 1977 Masters and British Open in his new book To Be The Best, published Tuesday in Britain. The book was issued to coincide with this week's British Open, which begins Thursday at Royal Birkdale, and threw the pair into conflict.In the book, Player calls on Watson to return the trophies and titles because Watson used clubs that failed to meet U.S. Golf Association groove specifications. At the time of the events, the clubs met the specifications, although they later were ruled illegal.
Quasi-interesting note. I did a Google image search for the two of them, and found no images of just the two of them. Can I get action with Fan Dual that Jack will be in the middle of the group photo? You heard it here first.
Other interesting fact: Tom Watson will be the 11th honorary starter. How many of the prior ten can you name? Your humble blogger would have gotten nine, just because I've read David Owen's history and know those two oddballs from 1954:
Watson becomes the 11th in Masters history to serve as an honorary starter since the tradition officially began in 1963, though it really dates to 1954 when Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod played a ceremonial 18 or nine before withdrawing to the veranda and clear beverage. The two had won Senior PGA’s at Augusta National.
Senior PGAs at Augusta National? Is your head exploding yet? Chill, it was in 1937 and '38, before the Augusta National Invitational was The Friggin' Masters.
Here's the rest of the list, courtesy of Geoff's Quadrilateral:
- Byron Nelson (1981-2001, non-consecutive)
- Gene Sarazen (1981-1999)
- Ken Venturi (1983)
- Sam Snead (1984-2002)
- Arnold Palmer (2007-2016)
- Nicklaus (2010-present)
- Player (2012-present)
- Lee Elder (2021)
Venturi? Didn't see that one coming.... Interesting, because he never won it, but had no shortage of drama. He went to his grave believeing that Arnie stole a Masters from him, and he's got quite a good case.
Geoff also has a prediction, grim as it may feel, on the next man up:
Watson’s eight majors, affinity for the Masters and place in golf history as an eight-time major winner makes him an obvious fit to carry on the tradition for years to come. And when Player or Nicklaus decide to no longer participate, Ben Crenshaw appears like the next logical choice to signal the start of the Masters.
This does break the mold, and I'm not sure yet exactly how I would take it. Excluding the one-offs, the Masters Starters have all been Lions of the Game, and Ben is simply not that. It doesn't make it wrong, the man certainly has a reverence for the place and his own Masters lore, but he just wasn't in the same zip code as his predecessors.
The Tour Confidential panel did ask about this announcement, though they're responses are of the phoned-in level:
5. Tom Watson, Augusta National announced this week, will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter at this year’s Masters. Did the green coats make the right pick? If not, who should have gotten the nod?Piastowski: That’s a good call. I wouldn’t have minded seeing a rotating third spot — perhaps as a nod to an anniversary of winning — but Tom Watson works well for me.Sens: Makes perfect sense. Especially since the only guy not in the field who’s got more wins will be announcing the event.Berhow: Great pick. Well deserved. Will be a nice addition to their Thursday morning press conference, too.Reilly: It’s time to start introducing new faces as part of that tradition. It’s always sad watching legendary figures age, but it won’t be long until we see other new faces join Watson as honorary starters.
I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to working in one-offs on anniversaries and the like.... Make it a proper fourball? More importantly, can we get them to play nine holes? Alas, Jack is too old, but they used to at least play a few holes.
Your Saudi Frisson - Yeah, who doesn't love them some Wahhabis? So, how's this sportswashing thing playing out? A worm seems to have turned, and the only conclusion is that it's perfectly fine to hang with the cool Euro kids, but surely it's wrong to host an event in conjunction with the Asian Tour. Is this one of those Asian hate crimes I've been hearing so much about?
The players are certainly being subjected to more questioning than they're accustomed to:
As quick as one of his most powerful swings, Bryson DeChambeau brushed aside a question concerning controversy surrounding the upcoming Saudi International.“So, not a politician, first off,” he said Thursday in a video conference with the media ahead of next month’s tournament in the Middle East. “I’m a golfer, first and foremost, and I want to play where the best golfers in the world are going to play. And that is the end of the story for me.”It was the only time DeChambeau was curt and agitated during a 30-minute Zoom call with the media ahead of the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.
And I had been reliably informed that the best golfers in the world would be at Pebble. Who knew?
Mr. Norman and the aforementioned Asian Tour might be hitching their stars to a sinking ship, at least the WSJ suggests such a scenario:
Foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia was $5.4 billion in 2020, less than half the level of a decade ago and well below the $19 billion that the country had targeted. It was on track to top $6 billion in 2021 based on data through the third quarter. That excludes the $12.4 billion sale of a stake in a Saudi pipeline company to foreign investors.
And a longer take on prospects:
Saudi Arabia has long been a tough place to do business, with a sluggish bureaucracy, outmodedlegal system and poor human-rights record. Prince Mohammed sought to change that, promising big reforms, holding lavish investment conferences in Riyadh and hobnobbing with Silicon Valley executives.His efforts have borne some fruit. The easing of strict social norms led to new tourism and entertainment industries, and improved the quality of life for expatriate workers. The government rolled out a bankruptcy law, allowed full foreign ownership in certain sectors and streamlined some business services.Prince Mohammed failed to change many of the old deterrents to investment. Then Saudi Arabia added new ones.The country tried to address a cash crunch by levying retroactive taxes on dozens of large foreign firms. In the past year-and-a-half, companies including Uber, its regional subsidiary Careem, and GE have faced huge tax liabilities and sometimes additional fines when their appeals were rejected.
He fooled the Shark, not that that takes anything more than a juicebox.
Shane Lowry was asked as well, and gave quite the clear response:
The Irishman is among a stacked field of confirmed golfers for the Saudi International, which is sponsored by the Saudi public investment fund and carries lucrative appearance fees for some, leading many to call it nothing more than a cash grab."Look, obviously there's no hiding from the people writing about this tournament or what they're saying about us going to play, but at the end of the day for me, I'm not a politician, I'm a professional golfer," Lowry told a virtual media session."I earn a living for myself and my family and try and take care of those, and this is just a part of that, and I need to go there."
I'm actually not a fan of tormenting the players over this, especially when the bosses, looking at you, Mr. Pelley, get a pass. Problem here for Shane is that he's not a member of the Asian Tour, and his home tour is hosting an event elsewhere..... Yeah, no is going to look good at the end of this.
Eamon Lynch has harsh words as well, quite the shock given his typical reluctance to offer a hot take:
To our catalog of greatest hits—‘One shot at a time,’ ‘Take dead aim,’ and ‘Growing the game’—we can now add ‘Not a politician,’ the deflection of choice among professional golfers competing at next month’s Saudi International.“So, not a politician, first off,” Bryson DeChambeau tersely announced a few days ago in a media Zoom call promoting the event. “I’m a golfer, first and foremost, and I want to play where the best golfers in the world are going to play. And that is the end of the story for me.”In a separate call, Shane Lowry echoed his fellow major champion.“Obviously there’s no hiding from the people writing about this tournament or what they’re saying about us going to play, but at the end of the day for me, I’m not a politician, I’m a professional golfer,” he said. “I earn a living for myself and my family and try and take care of those, and this is just a part of that, and I need to go there. I’m not a politician, I’ll let everyone else take care of that, and I’ll go and do my job.”Lowry is one of the more affable guys on tour. DeChambeau is, well, not. One of them at least made explicit why he’s going to King Abdullah Economic City: money. The other veils his motive with noble-sounding tripe about competition. (DeChambeau’s eagerness to pimp for the Crown Prince in a promotional call must have been edifying for Rocket Mortgage, given that he refused all media obligations in a snit last summer, despite being the sponsor’s defending champion and paid endorser.) That both men trotted out the same talking point suggests it will be a repetitive refrain as players try to disassociate themselves from the actions of the Saudi regime while still cashing its checks.
Yeah, a long excerpt, but when a man's on a roll...
That first weekend in February will be a curious one for sure.
Manspat - I'm tempted to say that Grayson Murray is Patrick Reed without the winsome personality, though it's probably more accurate to say that he's PReed without the talent. But wouldn't ya think that guys just hanging on would learn to keep their pie holes shut?
The fight itself is stupid, but the story is that Murray simply can't quit Twitter, bravely speaking truth to power:
Kevin Na taking 3 minutes to putt them. does get old. https://t.co/kzcJ8GtQjr
— Grayson Murray (@GraysonMurray) January 14, 2022
Of course, as everyone knows, Kevin Na is slow. Though, to his credit, I think he actually doesn't like that rep and tries to keep up, but obviously he hasn't been put to much of a test.
But then Na gets with this point-counterpoint thing, and lands a body blow:
Kevin Na taking 3 minutes to putt them. does get old. https://t.co/kzcJ8GtQjr
— Grayson Murray (@GraysonMurray) January 14, 2022
Are these the PIP leaders in the clubhouse? Just to be clear, is this what we're incentivizing?
There is one other aspect that will quickly become tedious, this which we'll hear for every bit of schtick:
But please, guys, save some of this for Netflix!
Although, I agree with this one:
Is one sufficient?
Netflixed - Of course, that was the primary subject of discussion on the panel:
1. Netflix revealed some of its plans for its upcoming behind-the-scenes series involving the PGA Tour, including the 23 participants. Among them are Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Joel Dahmen and Harry Higgs. Which player do you think will make for the most compelling viewing?Nick Piastowski: I apologize, but I have to go with three: Joel Dahmen and Harry Higgs, with a dark horse pick of DJ. Dahmen and Higgs are two of the most personable players on Tour, won’t shy from the exposure and most likely will offer more than a few lighter moments. (Just this week, Dahmen’s caddie, Geno Bonnalie, recorded himself standing in line to buy his man a hot dog ahead of the first round of the Sony.). As for Dustin Johnson, it could be really great, or it could be really not. But DJ being DJ should be … something.
DJ? You're serious?
Josh Sens: Gimme the funny. The quirky. The lesser known. In short, the order of interest here seems to be pretty much the inverse of where these guys sit in the world rankings.
Ummm, Josh, the whole point of this here panel and this here question is for you, an insider, to tell us who you think will score best. Thanks for playing...
Josh Berhow: Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler should be intriguing, mainly because those guys got so famous so fast it’s always seemed to me like we saw only the corporate version on Tour. I want to see the other side of them, if they let us in. But I also agree with what Nick said — fringe golf fans will watch and know about Spieth and Rickie and Brooks and so on, but this is a chance for those fans to learn more about guys like Higgs, Dahmen and Homa, who are sure to pick up a ton of new fans through this series.Tim Reilly: For a man of few words to the press, Dustin Johnson has brought us a great deal of joy with his brevity during press conferences. There’s a lot of intrigue around DJ off the course. Frankly, there’s a lot of intrigue around DJ and his fiancee, Paulina Gretzky, off the course. If we’re given ANY insight into their wedding planning and the wedding itself, that’s the most compelling reality TV they can bring us. I fully expect Joel Dahmen and his caddie, Geno Bonnalie, to become the breakout stars, though.
You mean, the alleged wedding? Dahmen is a funny, good guy, y'all know how much I like him, so we can only hope it works on film.
2. As part of the Netflix series, a Tour spokesman also said: “We do not have editorial control. We will be involved to the extent that Netflix and the producers have the access they need to film at our events. We want them to make a great show, and we all agree the documentary needs to be as authentic as possible.” In addition, the show will have access to all four majors. “For the first time ever, the PGA Tour and the governing bodies that conduct men’s major championships — Augusta National Golf Club, the PGA of America, the USGA and The R&A — will provide entry into the sport’s biggest events,” the show announced in a release. With that creative freedom, what little-exposed part of Tour life do you hope comes to light?
Just cause they say that, doesn't mean it's true...
Piastowski: It has to be whatever we can get out of Augusta National, right? Outside of what the majority of us see on TV and on the grounds every April, there is so little we know of the Masters host. Do we get access to the Champions Dinner? Do we get access into the clubhouse? What about the locker room? On and on. Feed our Augusta appetite!Sens: Can’t disagree with Nick here. In theory anyway. So long as it truly is something new and revealing, and not too stage-managed. How about Higgs and Dahmen take us on a guided tour of Augusta’s best fishing holes? In terms of Tour life itself, the less golfy the better. Can DJ fix a broken sink? Does Higgs have a Chia Pet collection? Surprise us. Otherwise, this has the potential to be really boring.Berhow: Good timing, as anything behind the scenes at Augusta would be great, but don’t forget we are going to the best Open Championship venue of all this year in St. Andrews. Lots to like there. Beyond that, I’m interested in their casual golf rounds with buddies (can they shoot 62 in their sleep?), family life (DJ the dad!) and what it’s like to basically be a Tour player going into a place like Target and buying home essentials. Give me it all!Reilly: I want to see as much behind-the-scenes action from practice round money games. I think we’ll get the most insight into what these guys are really like in those moments.
I would argue that Augusta is over-exposed, as it is. Though if you have the four majors on board, the Tour itself seems a bit marginalized, no?
Catch you later in the week?
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