Weekend Wrap -Low Country Edition

These browser tabs are breeding like rabbits....Shall we put a few out of their misery?

Fitz, Ascendant -  The Netflix stars were all out and on display, well with that one minor exception.  But first, the golf:

Jordan Spieth had his typical flair for the dramatic late Sunday at the RBC Heritage, but ultimately it was Matt Fitzpatrick who prevailed on the third playoff hole after hitting a 9-iron approach inside a foot for a kick-in birdie on the par-4 18th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Fitzpatrick, 28, shot a final-round 68 to end for a 17-under 267 total, then dodged Spieth twice on the first two playoff holes before knocking out the tournament's defending champion. It was Fitzpatrick’s second PGA Tour victory, following his win at the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., last June. He earned $3.6 million for the victory in the tour's latest "designated" event.

For Fitzpatrick, the victory was extra special as he and his family, who often traveled to Hilton Head Island from England when he was a child. He remembers visiting the area as early as age 6, and thought it would be a treat to play where the PGA Tour annually gathers.

“It’s hard to describe,” Fitzpatrick said. “It doesn’t get better than this. Walking down here, looking around, it’s a course I dreamed of playing when I was young. This one means more than anything.”

The fact that Clan Fitzpatrick vacationed in Hilton Head when Matt was six is a nice little story, but they pretty much burned through the human interest factor by, say, Thursday at 4:30 p.m.  It's the same six people watching on Sunday, so enough with it already...

This guy seemed to have it locked down late:

Fitzpatrick trailed Spieth, the 2022 RBC Heritage winner via a playoff over Patrick Cantlay, by

two shots with five holes remaining, but the reigning U.S. Open champ made pars on the par-3 14th when Spieth made bogey, then rattled off birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 to pull even. Fitzpatrick had a chance to take a lead into the final hole but missed a seven-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.

Spieth, 29, had more than enough chances himself to defend his title. He held the aforementioned two-shot lead but could not closes things out over the final three holes. In fact, he had to make a six-foot par putt on the 18th hole in regulation to move into a playoff. He shot 66-66 on the weekend.

On the first playoff hole, Spieth faced a 12-footer for birdie to win the tournament, the ball hitting the right edge of the cup and did not drop. “I think if I hit the same putt 10 times, it goes in eight times,” Spieth said later.

The winner was no less emotive than Jordan, and a supercut of their melodramatic reactions to the many near-misses could be good fun.  Geoff has a "With the win" update:

• The win is Fitzpatrick’s second on the PGA Tour to go with seven DP World Tour titles.
• He’s also the third Englishman to win a Tour event this year, the most in a single season dating to records beginning in 1983 (Justin Rose and Matt Wallace being the other two).
• Fitzpatrick finished T10 in last week’s Masters.
• The 28-year-old went 63-68 on the weekend.
• The RBC Heritage victory moves Fitzpatrick to the highest ranking of his career from No. 16 to No. 8 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
• He is set to play this week’s two-man team event with his brother Alex.

That last bullet being a bit of a buzz-kill, no?  The Zurich certainly seemed like a welcome break from the week-to-week soul-destroying 72-hole stroke play events, but Heinlein's crazy years are upon us, as Team Fitzpatrick seems the odds-on faves compared to this team:

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans promises to be an entertaining event if only for the fact it’s the PGA Tour’s lone tournament where players join forces, competing in two-man teams alternating in four-ball and foursomes play over four rounds. And some of those 80 teams are, well, rather interesting pairings.

Case in point: Listed in the field this coming week at TPC Louisiana are the duo of David Duval and John Daly. And, no, it’s not a typo.

I've been perplexed as to why the Tour hasn't been calling LIV events exhibitions, but I didn't realize the issue was jealousy.... Hard to deride the other guys when fat old men are in your fields.  What's wrong with these people?

As for the Tor Confidential panel, they remain solidly focused on their limited fixations.  For instance, some of us might want their thoughts on the winner and his future career arc, but they go a different direction:

1. Matt Fitzpatrick denied Jordan Spieth a repeat victory at the RBC Heritage on Sunday, as Fitzpatrick took down Spieth on the third playoff hole after Spieth caught a piece of the cup on both birdie tries earlier in the playoff but couldn’t get either to fall. What’s your takeaway from Sunday at Harbour Town and, despite the loss, what is it about this classic Pete Dye layout that suits Spieth’s eye so well?

What, no Tiger question? Geez, that's highly irregular... 

Josh Sens: We’ve seen Spieth win on all kinds of courses, but Harbour Town is not a place you overpower. There are tons of tight shots, small greens, overhanging trees and crafty little chipping requirements — I’d say that’s a good fit for Spieth’s inventive game.

Dylan Dethier: Matthew Fitzpatrick played incredible golf down the stretch. He birdied 15 and 16 in regulation and stuffed a gutsy iron shot at 17 (even though he missed the putt) — and then hit a series of impressive shots before delivering the knockout blow on the third playoff hole. Spieth played well enough to win the event. But Fitzpatrick actually did it. Massive moment for him, and it was fun to see the thoroughbreds lining up at Harbour Town.

Zephyr Melton: Harbour Town demands you be creative to access some of the tucked pins, and there’s no one with more imagination than Spieth. The more shot-making a course requires, the better-suited Spieth is to perform well.

Guys, a couple of strong finishes doesn't make this Hogan and Riviera....

Other notes include these about last-week's winner:

Jon Rahm had a strange exchange with a reporter asking if he would take the weekend off after making the cut, but gave some thoughtful answers about why he played the Heritage, including this: “I put myself in the shoes of not only the spectators, but the kids as well. If I was one of the kids, I would want to see the recent Masters champion play good or bad, just want to be there.” Rahm joined the CBS broadcast for an hour Sunday and delivered loads of insight into almost every shot shown. Despite running on empty he stayed around longer than most.

 Anyone remember Joltin' Joe?

“The reporter asked, "why did you play so hard."

"Because there might have been somebody in the stands today who'd never seen my play before, and might never see me again"

-Joe DiMaggio”

It's called being a professional.  It's just a little discouraging that it's sop newsworthy....

The TC gang focused elsewhere:

2. One week after his Masters victory, Jon Rahm tied for 15th at the RBC Heritage and then sat for about 20 minutes with Amanda Renner and provided insight and commentary as the action unfolded on the CBS broadcast. What was your favorite learning from Rahm’s sit-down, and is this a repeatable practice for CBS? Or was Rahm’s chat, coming after a major win, a convenient outlier?

Sens: I dug the details he offered right when he came on air and was asked to describe Patrick Cantlay’s chip on 13. The Bob Rosburg caricature of the golf commentator is to make a shot sound impossible (He’s got nothing, Johnny) right before a player knocks it close. But Rahm was quick to share a bunch of observations — tight lie, heel is probably going to be exposed, gonna have to hit it soft — in a clear and concise way that seemed insider-y without being overly technical. He’d be good at the gig if he ever quit his full-time job. And sure, it’s repeatable. These guys aren’t popes or in witness protection. They should make themselves accessible. It improves the product, which is in their interest.

Dethier: Well said, Josh. The walk-and-talks have been fun, but not everybody’s going to be comfortable doing those in crunch time. Rahm putting on the headset immediately delivered as a fun, insightful alternative. He’s an obsessive golfer. Loves it. Plays it better than anybody else at the moment. Thinks about it all the time. And so the best way to get to know him better is to give him a mic a few minutes after he finished up his round and hear him nerd out about golf. He enjoyed it, the CBS team clearly enjoyed it and we enjoyed it as a result. Oh yeah, and he won the Masters last week …

Melton: My colleagues are spot on, here. It’s always great when you can get these guys talking shop, and having Rahm do so in the booth was a big plus. Here’s to hoping more players follow in his footsteps as the season goes on.

Note the level of surprise that he actually had something relevant to say about an upcoming golf shot....  Just nobody tell Faldo.

But what are we to make of this concept of Designated Events when the architect thereof chooses to give it a miss?

5. Following his missed cut at the Masters, Rory McIlroy withdrew from the RBC Heritage and will now lose $3 million in guaranteed bonus cash since it’s the second designated event he’s missed this season. Do you have any issue with McIlroy, a vocal and influential piece of the Tour’s future, skipping this? Or is this the reality golf fans should expect when it comes to the Tour’s evolving designated-events model?

Sens: My general rule in life is that we’re all entitled to a few hypocrisies. And I’m willing to cut McIlroy some slack here. He went through an emotional wringer last week. That said, I do think we’ll see more of this as schedules evolve and it could become a problem if a bunch of players opt to start skipping all at once. It’s hard to come up with effective consequences for guys who can afford to forgo $3 million. That is what is known in everyday parlance as having f-you money, and a lot of the biggest names in the game possess that kind of dough

Melton: I don’t have any issue with him skipping — I know I wouldn’t want to play another event after the mental-drain that is the Masters — but I do find it odd. McIlroy was leading the charge on the new PGA Tour model, and to see him be the first to skip two events is strange. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but the optics aren’t the best.

Dethier: I’m with Zeph — It’s pretty strange. I’m eager to hear McIlroy’s explanation and will reserve judgment until then, but here’s the thing: He knows he’ll get roundly criticized for this. He knows it’s a bad look. He knows what other guys on Tour will say. He knows there could be significant financial consequences. He knows he’s been beating this drum for a year. And he skipped it anyway. That means something. We just won’t know exactly what until we hear from McIlroy himself.

Forget the hypocrisy, it's the stupidity that is always fatal....  

Seriously, a designated event the week after the Masters?  This event has always worked in a limited, low-expectations manner, in which those who deign to play the week after can do so in a low-key manner without much travel or demands.  So, yeah. let's turn this into something demanding and really burn these guys out... Which, connecting dots, is why we get John Daly next week, because so many of the top players have nothing left in the tank.

But this isn't the worst of it, as in June they'll need to fly 3,000 miles after the conclusion of the U.S. Open to get to Hartford for that Designated Event.  We can only hope that Rory will again be able to begin his journey on Friday.

Cantlay, Tumescent - I'll admit that it's a bit unseemly to jump on Patrick Cantlay and blame him for all the ills of the world.  But, on the flip side, it makes for easy blogging and, this seemingly being the most important bit, he's Patrick Cantlay.

For your humble blogger, I keep going back to this Alan Shipnuck bit:

Conventional wisdom says LIV took all of the Tour’s villains, but is Cantlay a candidate for that role? There’s rumors he’s been total pain in these top player meetings, and he seems to want to get paid while having zero interest in being entertaining. What say you? #AskAlan@cpfolds

A Tour player who has dealt with Cantlay on some governance issues recently described him to me as a “terrific penis.” I was slightly baffled until another person in the conversation said, “That means he’s a big dick.” I haven’t laughed that hard in ages. Cantlay can certainly be smug and smarmy, which is a good starting point for villainy. So is a Goldman Sachs hat. But Cantlay is so corporate and controlled that I don’t think he’ll ever lean into the role like an Ian Poulter or a Patrick Reed, which is a shame because, as you point out, there are way too many nice, normal, boring dudes on the PGA Tour.

 Alan, in a new mailbag, takes on man Masters queries, including this one:

#AskAlan Koepka won’t call him out, but did Patrick Cantlay and his atrocious pace of play cause Brooks a shot at the jacket? Not saying Brooks would have won but gotta think the multiple waits didn’t allow a quick player to find his groove. @EddieK619

One of the pleasures of this Masters was that it united all the warring tribes of Golf Twitter into an unusual consensus: everyone hates Patrick Cantlay. At Hilton Head this week, Cantlay offered a defense of his slow play, blaming the course, the greens, the wind, major championship pressure…basically everything but Patrick Cantlay his own self, which is obviously part of the problem here. But Rahm was playing alongside Koepka and he didn’t let the ordeal derail his concentration. Unfortunately, Cantlay is right, in that slow play is now just part of championship golf, so if you want to prevail you have to learn to overcome it.

Yes, but Cantlay also said that they waited on the 2nd tee at Augusta just as the Rahm-Koepka group behind them did, but no one seems able or willing to confirm that.  It seems a pretty simple question, was that Cantlay-Hovland group o the heels of the game ahead of them, or was there a gap?

The TC gang also kind of ducks that issue:

4. The penultimate pairing of Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland was criticized for their pace of play in the final round of the Masters — by both Brooks Koepka and Twitter — and Cantlay defended himself by saying it was slow for everyone. Fast-forward to Sunday at the RBC Heritage, and CBS on-course reporter Dottie Pepper said Spieth and Fitzpatrick were visibly frustrated with how long it took Cantlay to play a tricky shot inside a penalty area on the 14th green. Is it overrated or underrated how much incidents like this actually affect your playing partners?

Sens: I think it’s pretty well established that slow play drives a lot of people crazy. What’s interesting to me is how many people defend slow play on Tour by emphasizing how important every shot is, how much money is at stake and yada-yada. That’s tedious. And dubious. I question the assumption that grinding like that actually improves performance. I suspect almost everyone would play a little better if they played a little faster, even the pros.

Dethier: Let’s break this down: Patrick Cantlay has a deliberate pre-shot routine and stands over the ball for a while before he hits, which annoys TV viewers when they’re shown the whole thing. I totally get that. But why would he change? To appease viewers complaining on Twitter? Cantlay doesn’t use Twitter. To speed up play? There are so many other slow players that he’s hardly a significant cause; look at the Masters, where his group was slow, but the groups in front of him were slow, too! To avoid penalty? Nobody ever gets penalized for slow play. I imagine he’ll work on getting a little faster — the more he’s in contention, the more he’ll get heat for this, and he’s a self-aware guy — but Cantlay’s not particularly focused on winning golf’s popularity contest, so there’s really very little incentive to change.

Also, I’d love to see more data on slow play and per-player numbers and see how everybody stacks up.

Melton: Look, these guys are professionals — it’s their job to block out the noise and perform in any number of circumstances. It might be frustrating, but the great ones persevere through far worse adversity.

Your humble blogger isn't noted for being fair under such circumstances, but I do feel that some sort of exception is appropriate for this:

OK, but many took Patrick to task, including Geoff:

Patrick Cantlay pushed back at Brooks Koepka’s suggestion he was the Masters Sunday slow play culprit. “We waited all day on pretty much every shot. We waited on 15 fairway, we waited on 18 fairway. I imagine it was slow for everyone.” Cantlay went on to blame the wind, difficult greens and hole locations for players taking so much time. The new anti-rollbacker left out any mention of the walks back to tees or players waiting for par-5 greens to clear. Or that he takes two minutes to hit a simple putt.

Cantlay took two minutes and fifty seconds to play a shot off the 14th hole railroad ties Sunday, hardly helping erase memories of the Masters mess.

Geoff throws this in as well:

Pacing and rubbing his face suggested Spieth was less-than-enthralled by Patrick’s conundrum and the time taken.

OK, but I'm guessing that the terrific penis doesn't have much call to practice that shot, so I have trouble being too critical.  And I give him bonus points for actually trying to win the damn tourney...

Anyone but me remember JB Holmes in the 18th fairway at Torrey?  Needed eagle to get in a playoff and took a lifetime before deciding to lay-up, because winning is over-rated...

Mail, Dissected - Need to make some haste, so a Masters-themed Shipnuck mailbag works for me.

I used to dislike Jon Rahm because he couldn’t control his temper and he’d blow up. That’s changed. Different guy now. What happened? @gwgmtweets

He grew up, and into a golfing gentleman who oozes class and even a certain regal vibe. Rahm is only 28, but he already feels like an elder statesman. He is remarkably eloquent and deep…in his second language. Golf is very lucky to have him as an ambassador.

His arguments against LIV are also quite admirable, especially considering that he can hold such opinions yet remain friends with Phil.  And, not least of all, he taught a whole generation the meaning of "fealty".

Speaking of which....

Should we expect Phil to actually compete in LIV events now or was this just another flash in the pan like the 2021 PGA? @VeryAvgDad

One school of thought on Mickelson’s resurgence at Augusta is that he finally arrived at a tournament that inspires him to care. That ain’t it. I’ve observed Phil at numerous LIV events, and he has never worked harder. Certainly his new level of fitness shows that as well. He has struggled on LIV not because he doesn’t care but for the opposite reason: He’s getting in his own way. I think this Masters performance will free him up and unlock some good golf.

I suspect it's not the caring bit, but since the days of Hogan this course has allowed older golfer to inexplicably post low numbers.  I just don't think it travels....

Does success at the Masters change our tune on guys like Phil and Brooks? For Phil specifically, does this allow us to forgive and forget? They say winning solves most problems, and this sure felt like a win for Phil. @StueyStats

It’s always hard to write about Mickelson without invoking Tiger Woods. Consider what Tiger has put the game (and his family) through over the last 13 years with scandal and self- destructive behavior, but ever since he won the 2019 Masters he has never been more beloved. What has Phil been guilty of? Greed, sure, but that’s most golfers these days. Sneakiness, bad judgment, hubris…yes, but again, none of these things compare to Tiger’s indiscretions. It will always be a thrill to see Phil in full flight, as he was on the back nine at Augusta National. He remains a transcendent talent and consummate performer. Judging by the roars that followed him on Sunday, I think fans are ready to embrace him again.

I just think Alan is barking up the wrong tree here.  Yes, Tiger's indiscretions might have been worse to Elin, but were essentially none of our concern.

Phil took it upon himself to try to destroy the PGA Tour without the consent of his peers.  I would hope that's not easily forgotten....

Fortunately golf remains a walking game:

How good would TW be if he asked for an accommodation and took a cart for majors? #AskAlan @garyrind

This is suddenly golf’s most tantalizing hypothetical. It does seem like Tiger is still effective at delivering the clubface to the back of the ball, despite his many physical restrictions. He has shown flashes of his old brilliance with his short game and putting. He has impressive clubhead speed with the driver. But I’m not sure I buy Woods’s contention that he is the same golfer and the rigors of walking hilly courses is the only thing holding him back. He hit a ton of loose shots at the Masters before withdrawing. In the first round, when the weather was perfect and Woods was at his freshest, he made five bogeys and shot 74 on a soft course in easy conditions. Even before mangling his right leg in the 2021 car crash, Woods had an injury history that included a fused spine, a rebuilt knee, a frayed Achilles, a ruptured ACL and various other dings. Now, how much can he prepare for the rigors of tournament golf, even at home in a cart? If he could ride instead of walk, maybe Woods would play eight to 10 tournaments a year instead of four to five, but would that be enough to get/remain sharp and tangle with young, hungry, confident, fully optimized megatalents? Woods in a cart would surely be a more dangerous player but I think only occasionally.

Yeah, he was damaged goods before the auto accident, so that smells about right.  

I'm sorry, does Alan come from Vienna?  Otherwise I don't recognize his qualifications on this subject:

How do you assess Rory’s game after another missed cut at a major? It seems like mentally he’s still in a good place, even if his game isn’t. @tj_snell

I’m not sure the physical or mental aspect is particularly strong right now, given that McIlroy also missed the cut at the Players. He hit a lot of hooks off the tee at Augusta National, which is always a warning sign. And his utter capitulation was dispiriting in the extreme. Rory will find it again, but this Masters left a bruise.

As evidenced by the fact that, even with a couple of extra days to nurse his bruised ego, he couldn't get his ass to Hilton Head.

This one Alan had out of order, but belongs here:

#AskAlan Is it fair to say that Rory might not win another major? Crazy to think both Tiger and Phil have won one since Rory’s last. @Dannykowalski22

It’s a crazy thought…but fair. He has played at an exceptionally high level over the last nine years but obviously has a mental block in the majors. The tougher, more exacting setups in the majors also expose McIlroy’s weakness: He’s 172nd in strokes gained putting and 185th in proximity on approaches from 125 to 150 yards. You would think a major will just fall into his lap at some point, but it refuses to happen. Only a handful of players in golf history have gone 10 years or more between major championship victories. McIlroy better hustle.

Why is it crazy when he hasn't won one in almost ten years?  I had a more negative reaction to that final round on the Old Course than many, but I've been saying for some time that, the more he wants it, the worse Rory plays, see Royal Portrush as an example.  I just can't see him ever bagging his Masters, not perhaps another major.

Why won’t ANGC enforce pace of play rules unless it’s a 14-year-old Asian kid? @M_Sand09

It goes back to the weird vibe of the Masters, in which the green jackets have absolute power and everyone else is an invited guest. Tournament officials have an almost patronizing attitude toward the players, and penalizing them is considered bad manners. That’s how Tiger escaped a DQ in 2013, Ernie Els got a free drop in the middle of a forest, Rory was allowed to skate on testing the sand and Brooks didn’t get a penalty this year despite very damning video evidence. The green jackets simply don’t want to put a damper on their party. The penalty given to 14-year-old Guan Tianlang in 2013 was handed out by John Paramor, the famously imperious European Tour referee who was out there freelancing, much to the chagrin of Masters officials.

 Nobody enforces pace of play, so why are we always expecting this one club to clean up our messes?

This is pretty rich though:

Is OWGR officially outdated for the majors? @ChuckNorris1369

Well, a four-time major championship winner who had won two of his last six starts came in ranked 118th in the world so, yeah, the exclusion of LIV players is looking increasingly silly. There was already pressure on the OWGR to find a solution to rank every player, which is part of its mission statement. After this Masters, that feels like a mandate.

And who were those starts against?  

What does this Masters do to the civil war in golf? (Feels to me like maybe it mellows the feud out a bit, but what do I know.) @PeteViles

I think you’re right. The good cheer and even camaraderie between most LIV golfers and Tour loyalists was a welcome development after the bitchiness of last year. The strong play of the LIV crew earned them some grudging respect, and from the beginning, Rahm has been a conciliatory voice calling for compromise. His victory gives him an even bigger platform. So all in all, it was a good week for those who hope to see the game get put back together again.

I think that's mostly right, but can someone please tell me what they think this compromise looks like.... 

Cameron Young — future #1? @frazerrice

Well, he should probably win a tournament first: The dude is oh-fer-38! Young has a spectacular long game but ranks 183rd in strokes gained putting, which would explain his inability to win. I think he will have a long, successful career, but the putting will have to improve if Young is ever going to sniff No. 1.

Yeah, he's also seemed to me a bit mistake-prone late in these events, but it also may be that he needs that putter to bail him out of such circumstances.

#AskAlan Is Viktor Hovland the most overrated player in golf? It feels like he receives an outsized amount of attention compared to what he’s accomplished, which is relatively little. @the_agrippa

Well, he’s a delightful human and a great looking guy who wears clothes very well, no matter how gaudy they might be. So he brings a certain star quality beyond the results. At 25, Hovland has three PGA Tour wins at B-list events plus two quality victories in Europe and two dubs at Tiger’s Hero Challenge, which features a strong, albeit small, field. So he’s off to a good start! I wouldn’t call him a star, just a very good player. Hovland has now contended in his last two major championships, which is obviously encouraging. I don’t think he’s overrated but perhaps a tiny bit overhyped. Some strong wins will fix that.

He's also a seemingly engaging personality, but he was certainly over-rated by the OWGR after those weak W's.  But no one wears this shirt well:

A couple of inside baseball bits:

Did the Masters brief the press on being respectful as to asking questions about LIV vs. PGA Tour? @JStewGolf

No, nothing like that. But a rotating cast of Augusta National members serve as moderators for the press conferences, and I believe a couple go out of their way not to call on me no matter how vigorously I wave my hand. That’s a more subtle way of accomplishing what you’re asking about.

#askalan. Someone said on air that after the win Rahm would have dinner with the members. I’ve never heard this. Do they have a meet-and-greet buffet, or what? @SusanSSL

Yes, it’s a quaint tradition for the champ and his family to dine with the membership in a special pavilion next to the clubhouse built just for the occasion. When Zach Johnson won in ’07 I followed him into the dinner and it was quite a sight to see 100 or more green jackets. Unlike the Tuesday night Champions Dinner, the club handles the menu (lobster macaroni and cheese is a perennial favorite) and covers the cost. But after his breakthrough win in 2004, Mickelson pulled aside then chairman Hootie Johnson. “He was so overjoyed to have won he really wanted to celebrate,” says Phil’s wife, Amy, “so he tells Hootie, ‘Go deep in the wine cellar and pull out your best stuff.’” Augusta National’s cellar is legendary and has been widely described as among the best in the world. A particular favorite among the green jackets is Château Lafite Rothschild, a Bordeaux of which some vintages can retail for up to $15,000 a bottle. “Phil got pulled away, and after he was gone I heard Hootie say to another club official, ‘Do be sure that Mr. Mickelson is presented the bill for the wine.’”

 I agree here, but for different reasons:

#AskAlan Mickelson, McIlroy, Speith… Who wins the Grand Slam first? I think Spieth. He’s playing great, and the PGA is the easiest to win. @LaBeets50

I agree with your line of thinking, but Oak Hill is a tight, brawny, penal old-school design that seems ill-suited to Jordan’s erratic play. Meanwhile, LACC is a non-traditional U.S. Open venue that will reward iron play and a creative short game, two of Mickelson’s strengths. So Phil has an advantage in the short-term, but if he doesn’t pull another rabbit out of the hat this year I think Spieth is the answer, because Rory’s Augusta jinx appears to be metastasizing.

I'm gonna go with Jordan as well, but mostly because I've completely written off those other two.

You are Greg Norman for a moment: Are you happy or devastated about what happened at the Masters?#askalan @RealTurtleBR

If I’m Greg Norman for a moment, I’m definitely going grocery shopping in bicycle shorts, which I don’t normally do. Per the Masters, he has to be elated as the strong showing of the LIV players gives the circuit a needed shot of credibility. But Norman also has to be wistful of what could have been because Koepka winning would have been a monumental marketing opportunity for LIV. On the whole, they’ll take it.

The question is profoundly silly, because of course it was a home run.  There's two interesting questions that could have been answered, the least interesting being what would they have preferred, Koepka winning or having the three in the top six?  Obviously the former, but having three guys finish so high might actually be the more substantive feat.

That said, does it change any of the facts on the ground?  I'm still thinking that's a no....

Must run.  I've still got those browser tabs that refuse to close themselves, so we'll meet up down the road....