'Dis and 'Dat - Triskaidekaphobia Edition

The sun is out and the snow is presumably softening, so let's do this.  For those curious about it's origins, our fear of the number thirteen and of Friday the 13th specifically has its origins in the 13th person at the Last Supper, i.e., Judas.  So keep your heads low today, folks...

Public Relations Fails - Probably the biggest surprise in my year plus of full-time blogging has been the sorry state of public relations as practiced in the golf world.  From the outside one assumes that with no shortage of filthy lucre available the lads will avail themselves of competent professional guidance....yeah, not so much.

We've had many low points, the Tiger hissy fit in response to the Dan Jenkins faux interview, the Dustin Johnson deer-in-the-headlights interview with the vicious Tom Rinaldi, and every press conference the Commish has granted the plebes.  But now comes Patrick Reed, erstwhile World Top Fiver, and I suspect this will continue to dribble out.  We like spending time with Stephanie Wei, and she's on this story like white on rice (she's of course Asian so that just has to be racist).  Here's her latest reporting:

2. Before the team’s first tournament, during a qualifying round at the Forest Hills Golf

Club in Augusta, Reed was playing with a teammate. It was normal for the players not to use score cards, and to relay their scores to Josh Gregory, the coach, when the round had finished. Reed texted his score, and the teammate noticed that it was the wrong score—one shot lower than Reed had actually shot. He said nothing at the time, but told his teammates. The teammates took no action at that point. 

3. In the very next qualifying round, either the next day or two days later, Reed was playing at Goshen Plantation, this time with Mitch Krywulcyz, Taylor Floyd, and Brendan Gillins. Krywulcyz was responsible for relaying their scores to Gregory, and once again, Reed told him a score that the team believed to be incorrect. After the round, the teammates discussed the score and confirmed what they believed, that Reed’s announced score had been lower than the actual score. Krywulcyz called Reed, who backed up the score he had given Krywulcyz. At that point, the players agreed that something strange was happening—given Reed’s reputation, two false scores in a row raised suspicions. 

4. At that point, the team went to Gregory, and they held a meeting with Reed. Sitting at a long table with Gregory at one end and Reed at the other, the group went over both of his practice rounds hole-by-hole, and found that Reed’s stated score had been incorrect on both occasions. Reed reacted defensively, and when the teammates advised him to admit that he’d been shaving scores on purpose—since they’d respect him more if he was honest—he refused, and became angry. He was especially aggressive with the teammate from the first round, who was described as “easily the nicest guy on the team.” It was at this point that the team lost respect for Reed. He continued to insist he had simply added incorrectly, but after “mistakenly” shaving strokes for two rounds in a row, he never erred again in his two years at Augusta State.

Now it needs to be noted that the source has remained anonymous though Stephanie has identified him as a teammate.  And you'll note as I did the wealth of names, dates, courses and other specific details.

Also see this post of Stephanie's for reaction from some of Patrick's teammates on Twitter.

It's a classic PR conundrum, and one wonders if Patrick is being entirely honest with his team.  The Failure is quite obvious, in protesting his innocence he's given the story new life and provided the motivation for folks like Stephanie Wei to dig deeper and provide a surfeit of damning details.

This feels very similar to Vijay's cheating scandal from a hundred years ago.  I think most folks understand the pressures that a young golfer feels trying to make a living in our brutally difficult and highly competitive game, and would make some allowances for youthful errors in judgment.  But that requires an acknowledgement of the lapse in judgement and some sense of remorse, lacking in both incidents.

Stay tuned, because it appears that Patrick's teammates didn't like him very much, and are going to continue challenging his protestations of innocence.  This shouldn't affect our perceptions of his success as a professional, but the manner in which he's chosen to handle it makes it appear that it will continue to dog him.

A Soft Core Ball I'm Hoping - Fresh off that dispiriting story above, I feel the need to lighten the mood a bit.  Since they're playing The Snake Pit on Tour, how about a snake story?

According to the Ohio Wildlife Center, a black rat snake was brought into the hospital because of a large lump in its stomach. Turns out the lump was a golf ball that the snake had found in the wild and eaten. Experts say the snake probably mistook the ball for a frozen mouse, or maybe an egg. Apparently, snakes like to sneak into nests and eat whatever eggs they find. Charming creatures.

At least it wasn't a Rock Flite.

The Daly Beast - You know my feelings about the man, and I use that term in the loosest possible sense.  Unfortunately my #nomoresponsorsexemptions hashtag didn't take off, perhaps because I never actually tweeted it (I'm still a Twitter virgin).  So, let's catch up with our hero:

John Daly arrived in Tampa this week fresh off his first top-10 finish at a PGA Tour event in three years. But he also returned to the site of his worst career round.

In other words, something had to give. 

Let's just say Innisbrook won again. It wasn't the 90 Daly shot during the second round at last year's Valspar Championship, but it wasn't pretty, either. The two-time major champ opened with a double bogey on the par-5 first, added another on the par-4 seventh and shot 41 on the front nine. 

It didn't get much better on the back nine as Daly added a third double bogey and a triple bogey on No. 14. Even with a birdie on No. 18, he shot 81.

Just to be clear, there wasn't a lick of wind and the course was extremely soft, the easiest conditions you'll ever find.  And since we like colorful scorecards:

And more disgraceful than the 81 will be him dogging it today with no chance of playing the weekend.

Golf Porn - Down Maggot, don't get your hopes up... Employee No. 2's Irish eyes haven't been smiling much this winter, so I can only hope that the warming temps, melting snow and this will cheer her up.

With the dreadful St. Patrick's Day almost upon us, golf.com provides a slideshow of picturesque Irish golf courses.  You know the drill by now, but it's always great to see the usual suspects, including Lahinch below:

By the way, Maggot and Bride Thereof are moving to Los Angeles to be near their lovely daughters.  We're of course happy for them and Maggot will be bringing a stack of Unplayable Lies business cards to spread the gospel on the West Bank, but it does create a substantial cash flow loss for your humble blogger.

Spieth Waxes Nostalgic - File that under headlines you thought you'd never see.  But the young man has good memories of Innisbrook, as Jeff Babineau recounts:

It was here in 2013 that Spieth, then 19, needed a solid finish on Sunday to secure status as a special temporary member on the PGA Tour. He’d earned a spot into Tampa having finished inside the top 10 at Puerto Rico as a sponsor exemption the previous week (he was runner-up), and on Sunday at Innisbrook’s Copperhead, he needed another high finish, which wasn’t looking good after he made three bogeys in a five-hole stretch in the middle of his back nine. 

“I look back at 17 and 18 of that Sunday as two of the biggest holes I’ve ever played,” Spieth said, “and they will always be. I probably would have earned my (PGA Tour) card a little later, given the starts I would have had, but I needed to make whatever it was (about $475,000, to earn special temporary member status).

In hindsight it all looks preordained, but it's worth reminding folks of how hard it is to get playing privileges on the Tour.   And that's for a can't miss talent like Spieth...

I'll leave you here as it's time to go make a few turns.

Thursday Thoughts

Four weeks from today, Jack, Arnie and Gary will be striping their ceremonial opening drives down the first fairway at Augusta National Golf Club.  Hope that brings as big a smile to your face as it does to mine...

Today's Required Reading - Jaime Diaz goes deep with this long profile of World No. 1 for the Golf Digest Masters Preview edition.  Oh, and don't be put off by the cover photo, which is quite off-putting.  There are two threads that caught my eye, though your mileage may vary.  First is this:

That mind-set might have evolved slowly, but history will mark it as the moment

The unfortunate cover.

McIlroy publicly broke off his engagement with Caroline Wozniacki May 21 at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Five days later, when he came from seven shots down in the final round to get his first win in Europe or America in 18 months, he appeared a new man. 

Even after the victory, McIlroy was understandably subdued. But it wasn't long before he set a new course. 

"After [the breakup], I thought, What else do I have in my life?" he says during lunch at the downtown Standard, High Line. "I have family and friends, but they're always going to be there. What else? That's when I decided, You know what, I'm just going to immerse myself in golf for a while. I spent more time at it, thought about it more, spent more time at the range and at the gym. Because that's all I had, and that's all I wanted to do."

It really does appear that the break-up was a significant turning point in Rory's attitude.  But his newfound determination and commitment isn't necessarily good news for the other lads.  In terms of the Masters, Jaime had these comments:

But there is evidence to support why McIlroy might not win at Augusta. In his six Masters, last year's T-8 is his best finish (see chart). In those 22 rounds, he has made an astounding 11 double bogeys and three triple bogeys. Just as amazing, considering McIlroy's length, his cumulative total on the par 5s is only 21 under. Although scattershot short irons have been responsible for most of his big numbers, McIlroy has had trouble on the iconic greens, consistently finishing in the bottom half of the field in putting. 

"A firm and fast Augusta, or a typical U.S. Open setup, is probably the most difficult test for me," he says. "It requires so much discipline and precision, and that's something I'm still learning. I won a U.S. Open, but it was much wetter than normal, and even Hoylake was soft for a links. So if Augusta is fiery, winning there would get me closer to being a complete player, because I don't think I'm there yet."

True that, but the real significance is that it comes form Rory himself.  I've often told the story of watching Rory in the second round of the 2010 Open Championship.  After posting a 63 on Thursday, Rory caught the worst of the nasty weather that later suspended play because balls were moving on the greens, and I watched him launch moonball after moonball.  The fact that he shot 80 was less surprising than the fact that he never tried to control the flight of his shots.  He grew up in friggin' Northern Ireland and couldn't hit a kockdown....still can't explain that one.

There's also interesting discussion of his work with putting guru Dave Stockton, interesting to me because Rory still misses an inordinate number of short putts, a real issue when you putt as aggressively as he does.  But lastly, care for a look at what all the gym work has created:

 

On the left is the famous pic of Rory with Rickie Fowler at the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down.

Piling On - Anyone know what the opposite of the phrase "Praise from Caesar" would be?  Because when John Daly is poking fun at your drug testing protocols, that warrants top drawer snark:

Speaking on “Hit It Hard With John Daly” from a Clearwater Hooters, the two-time major champion called the PGA Tour’s anti-doping testing program “a big joke.” He also said called out Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour's commissioner, and Andy Pazder, the Tour's senior vice president and chief of operations, telling the two to “get off your ass and get it right. I’m tired of it. Because it (testing) has to be random. This is bull----. I’m sorry. I don’t care what you do. Fine me. But do it randomly. I know when I’m getting drug tested.” 

Daly would add, “Who knows? Finchem probably owns the drug-testing company, anyway.”

To be fair, when it comes to big jokes, Long John is a recognized controlling legal authority.  Though this is clearly TMI:

Daly had a lap band inserted years ago to lose weight and doesn't like to drink water (“I drink Diet Coke”), so being tested, which requires providing a urine sample after play, proves to be a time-consuming inconvenience. If he urinates on the golf course late in his round, he knows he’ll have to stick around for hours after play to provide a sample. So instead, he does not use the bathroom for several holes, which he says affects his play.

JD's premise is that the players are aware of when they'll be tested, which of course the Tour denies.  But add that to our recent piece about the Tout not using blood testing, required to screen for HGH and other PED's, because it might cause a hematoma (notwithstanding that samples are taken after play).  

But Commissioner Ratched is sure we don't want to be bothered with this information, right?  Errr...not so fast, per Sam Weinman:

On Tuesday, in the wake of remarks from PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem about

why the tour doesn't publicize fines and suspensions, we conducted a poll asking whether fans were interested in such disciplinary measures.

By Finchem's estimation, the tour keeps these transactions private is because "we don’t think the fans really want to know about most of the stuff we would be talking about." It was a rather bold supposition, so our poll essentially asked, Is this true?

Just a quick review for the benefit of anyone new to this issues.  The Tour has separate policies for PED's and recreational drugs.  As for the former, the Tour does announce suspensions, though it doesn't give us the details of the drug used.  The issue here is that the protocol is designed to not catch anyone, both because of how it's administered and in not utilizing blood screening.

I don't believe there is a tremendous amount of PED use in golf, but I'm also not crazy about taking Uncle Tim's word for it.  And the two unfortunate tour rabbits that have been caught is not credibility enhancing.

As for recreational drugs (as well as deportment violations), the Tour's "Nothing to see here" policy is hopelessly naive.  Unless, of course, fictitious Jet-ski accidents and unexplained absences are your cup of tea.   I could easily make the case for not testing for pot and cocaine, but if you're testing then the results should be out in the open.

Whither Tiger - For anyone that might still care, 5:00 p.m. tomorrow is D-Day, the time by which Tiger must commit to play nest week at Bay Hill.  From where I sit, that tells us whether he intends to tee it up at Augusta....

From the ones I got somewhat correct, comes this clarification from Team Tiger as to the name ownership issue.  Mike Bamberger had been told and recounted that the awkward name of Tiger's new restaurant was the result of Nike owning Tiger's name.  That didn't make sense, and now comes this from the ultimate source, our Steiny:

“I can’t imagine how this could have been communicated this way. It is wholly inaccurate and categorically false,” Steinberg said. “Tiger owns his own name and always had. He can use his name in any form he chooses. Nike would confirm that if asked.” Later Wednesday, a Nike spokeswoman did just that, saying, "Nike does not own the name 'Tiger Woods.' We can confirm that Mark Steinberg's comments are accurate."

Shackelford, putting his spot on Steiny's Christmas card list in jeopardy, snarked this:

Startling words to see in print! "We can confirm that Mark Steinberg's comments are accurate."

Snark aside, how then did you come up with such a cumbersome name for your diner fine dining venue.  In other Tiger news, new details have emerged in a story long lost to the memory hole:

Anonymous threats to poison milk formula in an apparent protest over the use of an

agricultural pesticide in New Zealand has brought out new details of a cyanide threat at the New Zealand Open in which Tiger Woods played in 2002.

The New Zealand Herald reports that “the cyanide sent to the US Embassy was contained in sealed sugar sachets,” according to Labour MP Trevor Mallard, then the duty minister.

It's resurfaced because there's a new threat to baby formula... I love humanity, except for the people, that is.  Meanwhile, loosely linked to our Tiger thread are these cringe-inducing comments by David Feherty, that Shack recommends scoring to Ave Maria:

"For the last 18 years he has had a camera meet him in the parking lot and follow him to the parking lot when he's done," Feherty said. "It's a great shame, really, that we haven't given him any privacy or any kind of respect. Even this last episode when he was so bummed and deflated, and for the first time he gave the impression he felt like a basket case, we still followed him to his car and watched him struggle to get his shoes off and drive away. 

"I mean, really? Enough. I never thought I'd feel sorry for him, but I do."

I'll give you moment to compose yourself and wipe away that tear that formed in the corner of your eye.  Is it news to you as well that we've never giver Tiger any respect?  Yes, there's a downside to celebrity, which I don't think will come as a surprise to any of us....but he signed up for the program, and I'm guessing that the benefits outweigh the negatives.

Feherty did leave us with this:

Feherty: All of my contracts are up at the end of this year with the Golf Channel and CBS so I don't know where I'll be or what I'll be doing. It's kind of a strange time, but no matter what happens, I'll think of something. I've got to a stage in my life having been through what I've been through and gotten sober and healthy for the last eight-and-a-half years, nothing matters to me except the time I have left and how I spend it. It's nothing to do with money or anything else. It's just about time, it's all that matters. If I can spend that time enjoying myself, but helping other people, then I'll grab my hat and be happy." 

AL: If you are still having fun, would you want to stay with CBS and the Golf Channel? 

Feherty: Absolutely, I enjoy doing it. I'm constantly surprised. Can you believe I get paid for this shit?

Just enjoy it, David.  Because we still enjoy you... and every moment you're speaking is one in which Nick Faldo is silent.  Win-win, baby!

Ranking Your Office - Professional golfers have better offices than most, and GolfWorld has asked them to rate them.  Now Tour pros have never struck me as being architecturally sophisticated, but here's there top ten:

1. Augusta National GC (Augusta, Ga., The Masters)

2. Harbour Town GL (Hilton Head Island, S.C., The Heritage)

3. Riviera CC (Pacific Palisades, Calif., Northern Trust Open)

4. Pebble Beach GL (Pebble Beach, Calif., AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am)

5. Colonial CC (Fort Worth, Tex., Crown Plaza Invitational)

6. Muirfield Village GC (Dublin, Ohio, The Memorial)

7. Shaugnessy G&CC (Vancouver, B.C., RBC Canadian Open)

8. Aronimink GC (Newtown Square, Penn., AT&T National)

9. Innisbrook Resort - Copperhead (Palm Harbor, Fla., Transitions Championship)

10. Congressional CC (Bethesda, Md., AT&T National)

Seeing Congressional in the top ten is enough to make me lose my will to live, and there's other surprises (including Kapalua at No. 43, almost in Liberty National territory).  For those interested in the subject, it's worth listening to Shack talk about the methodology and results in this podcast.  surprisingly, at least to me, he gives the players surprisingly high marks for their frightfulness.

And I am glad to see this week's venue rank highly, as it's a good one...

Champions' Challenge - Cancelled in 2010 due to Open Championship weather, the R&A has announced a mulligan for the event this July:

Golf fans will also be delighted to see three-time Champions Gary Player, Nick Faldo

and Tiger Woods playing in the event alongside the 1963 and 1969 Champions, Bob Charles and Tony Jacklin, and more recent winners such as Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington. 

Among the other champions confirmed so far are Louis Oosthuizen, who won The Open in 2010, the last time it was played in St Andrews, Stewart Cink, David Duval, Paul Lawrie, Mark O`Meara, Justin Leonard, John Daly and Sandy Lyle. 

The occasion will also be used to pay tribute to Australia`s Kel Nagle, who won the Centenary Open in 1960 at St Andrews and who passed away in January at the age of 94.

That's a nice event, but are we sure that Tiger will be there?   The tribute to Nagle is also a nice touch...

Playing Through - Of course this guy plays through when he wants, but look how relaxed the other players are:

Back In The Saddle

I'm safely ensconced in the Unplayable Lies Western Regional HQ on my last ski golf trip of the winter....That change required by the alarmingly warm weather.  It's going to be 60 degrees on the mountain on Sunday and 74 in Salt Lake City...

Let's catch up, shall we?

WGC Blues - The great Jaime Diaz diagnoses the sorry state of the WGC's in the Golf World item.  It's one of those e-mag formats that bloggers detest, and I'm far to lazy to do the screen shot thing to

provide excerpts.  You'll just have to read the thing yourself...

As much as I respect Jaime, I can't help but add a quibble or ten.  he does a reasonably good job of recounting the environment in which the WGC's were created, though a bit more perspective would be helpful.  You might have noticed that I can at times be somewhat critical of the Commissioner of the PGA Tour....I know, iit was so subtle you probably missed it.

But while being critical I also try to acknowledge that he does have a problem unique in the sports world, that he runs the most prestigious league in the world, yet does not control the 4 1/2 most important events in that sport (the half is the Ryder Cup played every other year).  So much of Commissioner Ratched's scheduling overreach ties back to that existential crisis (at least it seems a crisis to him).

Because at its heart the problem with the WGC events is that there is simply no need for them...the best players in the world already compete against each other on great venues, and one of them is even outside the U.S.  The only problem with that from a Ponte Vedra Beach-centric viewpoint is that the small man with big hands doesn't have a seat at the table.

Jaime's focus on the Match-Play event is I think appropriate, though he elides the reason.  It is important because it's the one exception to the dull repetitiveness of everyday life on the PGA Tour...we actually get to see a different format.  I give them credit for solving their problems with the event, though I'd maintain that their changes are more least-bad than actually good, though of course I'm not the guy that has to keep the players happy and induce sponsors to write big checks.

Raising The Bar on Dull - Our great game is stands accused of being dull by those immune to its charms, especially on TV.  And I get it.... if I didn't play I'd have no appreciation for the skill involved.  In fact, when I've occasionally met non-golfers who enjoy televised golf that puzzles me more than the reverse...

But you want dull?  Take a look at a few moments of this, and just please bear in mind that there are folks that think this will help grow our game:

Promise me you'll only watch a minute or two, as prolonged exposure, like with a solar eclipse, could be dangerous...  

Reed Redux - We spent some time with World Number Five Sixteen Patrick Reed earlier this week, and acknowledged our inability to determine which of the parties was playing us.  Stephanie Wei, at her delightfully named Wei Under Par, commits an actual act of journalism, and obtains the "affidavit" of Georgia's golf coach Chris Haack:

Well, the “affidavit” from Coach Haack has been obtained under the Georgia Open Records Act, which was made possible because Haack used university counsel. Note that when the document was sent, the Georgia legal affairs representative wrote, “Please note that this is not an affidavit.” (Emphasis mine.) According to a legal affairs officer, the distinction is that an affidavit would have to be sworn officially under oath and notarized for use in court—this document is far more informal. Haack himself confirmed that this is the only document he signed for Reed’s attorneys.

I am not now nor have I ever been a lawyer, but this distinction seems rather trivial to me.  I don't care at this point if the document can be used in a court proceeding (of which there isn't one, as of now), but whether Haack supports Reed in the specifics of the story.  Here's the statement in its entirety:

 Wei does a good job of explaining how carefully chosen the wording is, as in the example below:

The second point from Haack’s “affidavit” is even trickier: “While Patrick Reed was at UGA, I was not aware of any allegations of cheating or theft against him.” 

That’s because it came to his attention after Reed had transferred, which Haack confirmed. It seems as though Reed’s lawyers are attempting to play a game of semantics, and hoping that the public will misconstrue Haack learning later as Haack never learning at all—which is not the case.

I'm so disillusioned....  I'm sure more will come out, so stay tuned.

Public Service Announcement - I am going to suggest that this be posted in the Willow Ridge locker room and mailed to all members:

If you like grass on driving range, then please -- we implore you -- don't just scatter your range balls all over the place and start hitting them. Keep them in a pile, and hit them one-by-one. Once you've hit one, place your next ball about an inch or so behind your previous divot and hit away. Trust us: It makes the range better for everyone.

I'm sure it will do no good, but I'll feel better.

Harshing The Mellow - I think most folks generally wish Dustin Johnson well and are happy for his success since his return.  That said, there seems to be some denial in play, aided and abetted by the Tour's pathetic lack of transparency, which raises concerns about his ability to stay on the right path.  Derek Lawrenson of the Daily Mail doesn't pull his punches:

Johnson stands 6ft 4in and is such a naturally talented athlete he had every sporting coach at his college clamouring for him to specialise in their particular pursuit. 

When he started making millions from golf, it was hardly surprising that temptation lay at every turn. Only Adam Scott attracted more swooning women than Johnson, but only Scott was wise enough to pick his way through the pitfalls.

And now Johnson’s back. Will this turn out like another John Daly fable, where he returns but only to fall back into his old ways as quick as a lead can disappear on a pressure-filled Sunday?

That's gonna leave a mark, but I do hope DJ reads this and takes JD as his anti-role model.

And The Winner Is -  No need to wait four weeks, as golf's most prominent statistician has determined who will win The Masters.  Not really, but it is good fun:

With the season's first major upon us, I thought it would be interesting to develop a

statistical model to predict the Masters winner. And why not? Netflix predicts movies you might like based on your viewing habits, and online music-streaming station Pandora suggests songs to match your listening habits. Sounds straightforward, right? Unfortunately, ShotLink isn't used at the Masters, so I can't look at Augusta-specific Strokes Gained data to assess how a player will perform there. That means I'm limited to using stats from the PGA Tour season and from past Masters finishes.

It's 2015 and we massive computational abilities, but no ShotLink data from any of the majors....Sheesh!  As you read Broadie's methodology you'll understand that it's really next to useless, and not surprisingly his top ten list contains little knowledge.

But I thought this part of it was the more interesting:

So now that we have our contenders, let's determine which holes will be most important at Augusta. The player who gains the most strokes against the field grabs the green jacket, so it makes sense to identify the holes where the tournament's top five finishers gained the most on the field each year. 

At Augusta, the holes topping that list (in order of most gain) are Nos. 7, 18, 13, 12, and 14. Let's focus on the first three. Statistics show that the field plays the par-4 seventh over par, with an average score of 4.2, but the top five finishers play it slightly under par, with an average score of 3.9. Thus, the top finishers gain 0.3 strokes per round on the field, or just over one stroke in the tournament, on average. Since the top finishers average 0.4 strokes under par for four days on No. 7, savvy players could set a target of even par or 1-under-par for the tournament on this hole.

Good stuff.

Back9 Back? - The vultures are picking over the carcass, never an attractive sight, as two players try to raise capital to salvage the operation:

One is the founder and former CEO, as well as the largest shareholder, Jamie Bosworth, who if successful, might “offer him a door back into the CEO’s chair,” the Courant wrote. Bosworth, who resigned under pressure last summer, said he is attempting to raise between $30 million and $40 million, “which will allow us to produce the type of content that excited both investors and the golf lifestyle industry.” 

The other is Bosworth’s replacement as CEO, Charles Cox, who is working with company executives who have “a couple of groups that have shown interest, and we're trying to push them to get to the finish line as quickly as possible,” he told the newspaper.

 Mr. Cox seems to have double-dipped on the Kool-Aid:

“I wouldn't have left a nice safe career at ESPN if I didn't think so. I think it's a no-brainer channel offering. You've got the only sport you can play until you die. You've got a 70-billion dollars annual consumer spend around the lifestyle. Look at other [sports] genres that have a lifestyle around it. There's only one, outdoors, hunting and fishing, and they've got several channels.”

Whenever you're told that something is a no-brainer, run, don't walk, away.

 I've got more, but am going to quite here and we'll pick things up later.

Other Stuff

As promised, some more of those random musings you so crave...

She's Peaked - I've consistently maintained that my beloved Lydia is not yet the best player in the world, though she seems to be determined to prove me wrong (and safely below that Mendoza Line in predictions we spoke of).  She came up short in Thailand, but just:

SINGAPORE (AP) Inbee Park claimed her 13th career LPGA title by winning the HSBC

Women's Champions on Sunday, shooting a 2-under 70 in the final round to win by two strokes. 

Park, who started the day with the same two-stroke lead, had birdies on Nos. 7 and 11 at Sentosa Golf Club to finish the tournament at 15-under 273, clear of 17-year-old Lydia Ko, who also shot a 70.

Most amazing was the fact that Inbee didn't make a bogey all week, in fact she's now bogey-free for 92 holes.  The ladies' majors should be good fun this year, with all three of the best players (Stacey Lewis filling out the troika) on form.

Sam I Am - Sometimes the losers are the news, as in the off-field Tour event this week:

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Alex Cejka won the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, making a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a five-man playoff. 

The 44-year-old Czech-born German won in his 287th start on the PGA Tour. A four-time European Tour winner, he birdied four of the first six holes and finished with a 3-under 69 in rainy, windy conditions at Trump International-Puerto Rico.

I say that because one of the four unluckies was Sam Saunders, heretofore most famous for being Arnie's grandson.  But he's clawed his way to Web.com Tour status and just posted the low number in a PGA Tour event (albeit off-field), so we'll give him credit for staying with it.  It's never crossed my mind that he has enough talent to stick out there, but admittedly some doubt about that has crept in.

Tiger Woods, Restaurateur - Mike Bamberger spends some time on Tiger's career change:

JUPITER, Fla. – Harbourside Place is a gilded and shiny new development here, built by

a transplanted New Yorker named Nicholas A. Mastroianni II. It is a testament to the good life. There’s a marina, a Tommy Bahama shop, a Wyndham Grand Hotel. Under construction is an 8,000-square-foot restaurant called The Woods Jupiter: Sports and Dining Club. 

The Tiger Woods you know and love might not be at Doral this week, but do not fear: He has other things to keep him busy, like his new restaurant, his first major and public entrepreneurial investment. Unlike his role in the energy-drink start-up Fuse Science, where he had a stake in a company that crashed, this is a business he can control.

Yanno, control is a funny concept...  but I would argue that he can control only part of it.  Most folks have been focused on the Michael Jordan appearance in the piece, but I've got other fish to fry.

So, Tiger has long been hankering to become a foodie?  Errrr, as is often the case with The Striped One, his interests turn out to be more commercial:

Part of the reason Woods wanted to build a restaurant and bar, people who know Woods have said, is because when he goes to the Blue Martini in Palm Beach Gardens, word spreads quickly by cellphone, the place gets packed and Woods feels like he is creating business for other owners. Mastroianni, who did not comment on that theory, said, “Tiger’s place will be way better, way more upscale, than the Blue Martini.”

Maybe that will work out, especially since we know how Tiger loves fine food.  I mean as long as there are no cocktail waitresses...  As for upscale, this won't exactly shock you:

Mastroianni said he has worked directly with Woods, with the CFO of ETW, Chris Hubman, and not at all with Mark Steinberg, Woods’s agent. He said Woods is spending $1,000 per square foot in the construction of the restaurant, about 30 percent more than most upscale restaurant owners spend. “He’s got marble from Italy, granite from another country,” he said. Mastroianni said he expected cocktails to cost about $15 each.

My rule of thumb has always been that guys with the chipping yips shouldn't spend more than $500/sf, as it's not likely to be long before you're looking for the value-oriented patron.  And there was this amusing nugget:

The developer was asked about the cumbersome name, The Woods Jupiter: Sports and Dining Club. He referred to it as Woods Jupiter and expects that’s what most people will call it. Mastroianni said he was told that Nike “has the rights to the name Tiger Woods,” which prevented Woods using his first and last name in the restaurant name. (Nike and Greenspan, Woods's spokesman, did not immediately respond to inquiries about the rights to use Woods's name in commercial ventures.)

That's a mouthful for sure... but it's hard to imagine that Nike really "owns" Tiger's name.  More typically Nike would control the name for use in the businesses in which they compete or would likely compete.  But the bigger issue is to figure out a way to short this venture.  Tiger has never struck me as the glad-handing former athlete, and the novelty will wear off in about an hour and a half.  Of course we've recently been over my record in such predictions...

Rachel Uchitel could not be reached for comment.

Top Five Update -  We previously reported on the unflattering stories that surfaced about Patrick Reed during his short, unhappy tenure at Georgia.  Our young hero later decamped for Augusta State, which two national championships later we can agree worked out well.

The allegations come from an unlikely source, unlikely in the sense that it wouldn't seem to be integral to the underlying project:

The book, entitled “Slaying the Tiger: A year inside the ropes on the new PGA Tour,” was authored by Shane Ryan who wrote in an excerpt published on Jan. 30 on the website tobaccoroadblues.com that, according to anonymous sources, Reed stole a Scotty Cameron putter and $400 cash, and that he cheated during a qualifying round while he played for the Bulldogs. 

Reed told Lewis his lawyers intend to send a letter to Ballantine Books, which is part of Random House Publishing Group, and Ryan requesting that portion of the book be retracted. 

“I was shocked. That was the first time I heard about it. To read something like and see how degrading and false it is, to have someone say something like that without coming to me first and asking me, it’s shocking,” Reed said.

The story just got a whole lot more interesting, but for all the wrong reasons.  It sounds like quite the dreadful book project, an utterly forgettable campaign with a gratuitous use of the non-factor Tiger's name to give it some kind of hook.  I certainly couldn't imagine that an author would stoop to floating an unproveable allegation against a controversial subject of his book, could you?

At the link above is video of Patrick's interview with Todd Lewis, in which he hits all the right notes.  He's so good you can only hope that DJ's people are taking notes...  but I could also envision untoward motives on the other side.  It's one of those stories where we know we're being played, we're just not of by whom.  Though if I had the lottery ticket that said both, I'd be sure to keep it in a safe place.

Elk, Unplugged - When last we checked in with the unfiltered Aussie, he was regaling folks with the finest in Michael Sam humor to not-so-great critical acclaim.  So color me surprised at this:

On Saturday, May 9, “Secret Golf with Steve Elkington” will begin a 15-week run on CBS Sports Network for its second season, following the first season on RFD-TV that garnered “surprisingly good ratings for a small network,” according to Elkington. Originally called “The Rural Golfer,” the show in its second season will be “quite a bit less rural.” RFD-TV is owned by Rural Media Group, a Nashville-based conglomerate.

Now the gay-bashing made Elk a seemingly good fit for a rural audience, but pace Rick Blaine, I'd advise him to avoide certain sections of New York.  The premise actually sounds quite good:

“We’re trying to find the reasons why people like golf,” said Elkington, the 1995 PGA Champion. “We try to find these off-the-beaten-track courses and serve up as many characters as we can find, throwing in some human interest about why this might be a good place to visit.

“I don’t want to say I’m a dive bar connoisseur, but I’m a connoisseur of weird things. I’ve played Augusta and Pebble Beach and I love them all, but I also quite enjoy myself on some of these different types of places.”

A set time has not yet been established for the show’s debut, but what’s certain is that the May 9th premiere will include back-to-back 30-minute episodes, followed by one episode per week into August. Elkington also noted the second season will feature appearances from PGA Tour legend Jackie Burke Jr., Jason Dufner, Pat Perez and other pros, and that Dufner has come on board as a “content creator” for the show.

How this didn't end up on Back9 before they folded is one of life's mysteries.... Here's epsisode 1 for someone that's not me to watch.  The drunk gay-bashing I just find to be a turn-off...maybe it's me.

End Times - The anchoring ban was going to end careers we heard ad nauseum,though it's not playing out like that, is it?  James Corrigan, for some reason writing in the Vancouver Sun (oxymoron alert), had this over the weekend:

The anchoring ban does not come into effect until next January, but if the WGC Cadillac Championship here has proved anything, it is the belly and broomhandle brigades have already all but disbanded. 

None from the 73-man field is employing what will soon be the illegal method of putting. The four players who between them used the long implements to collect all four majors in the space of 18 months from 2011 have converted to the regulation blade. Ernie Els did not qualify for this event, but Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley did and they have all looked comfortable crouching over this week.

.For those of a more statistical bent, here's Adam's putting line for the week:

STROKES GAINED PUTTING  2.993  2.738  -3.271 0.638 3.098 12th

That's for each of the four days, total and his rank in the field.  Not too shabby for his first week out with the claw... he did look shaky on Saturday, but the thing to remember is that he's never been a good putter, even avec broomstick.  The numbers will likely continue to bounce around wildly, but that's no different than before.  Adam should be expected to continue to be a bad putter, on average, but when he has a good week with the flat stick he's likely to contend.

Miss Finchem Regrets - No, she's able to lunch for sure, but it appears that Grandmaster Phil got the better of him

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said Sunday he "whiffed" when the PGA of America told him about changes to Ryder Cup qualifying by not protesting that the fall start to the season would not count toward the standings. 

The Ryder Cup Task Force, which included five active players among 11 members, decided to only count PGA Tour events that begin next January. It leaves out five tournaments in October and November that kick off the 2015-16 season. 

"When we had a communication by way of a conference call on the proposed changes, I thought they were all good. And I think most of them are," Finchem said. "But I kind of whiffed on that one, to be honest with you. I didn't really think through that particular change as it relates to those events."

Yeah, I'm betting that those sponsors are real happy right about now, but that'll happen when you're playing Freecell to relieve the tedium of a long conference call.  If you think that perhaps these two are reading from a different script, here's the Commish:

"We would like to see them included ... because I think it's good for those tournaments.

And here's our Phil:

"The Ryder Cup isn't about accommodating everybody," Mickelson said Sunday after his final round at Doral. "The Ryder Cup is trying to be competitive and get the best players in the field, and so when you're trying to identify the best, you can't really accommodate everybody, make everybody happy."

I know, it's very subtle... Probably the Commish is just posturing for those sponsors, knowing full well that the PGA of America couldn't give a rat's ass about Tim's issues. And it's amusing because in this case, his own players were only to happy to sell him down the river. Phil even piled on with this:

"And from the Ryder standpoint, it doesn't make sense to have points assessed on those events when none of the top players are playing or very few," he said. "And maybe the FedEx Cup ought to start looking at that, as well, as maybe that's not the best place to start it out. Maybe we should start it in January like we used to."

The Fall schedule was actually far more interesting as a stand alone series for guys to earn their way onto Tour.  Oh sure, the occasional regular showed up when it made sense for them, but a tourney of youngsters and old guys looking for another bite of the apple had great urgency... yeah, nobody watched, but nobody is watching now either. 

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article13031414.html#storylink=cpy

That's it for now, dear readers.  I'd expect that you'll next hear from me Wednesday morning.  A snow dance would be a nice gesture...

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article13031414.html#storylink=cpy

Weekend Wrap, in which Holmes and Watson Lose the Plot

When it comes to golf predictions, most of us are safely below the Mendoza line... 

Yesterday I was mid-post when Employee No. 2 summoned me to a snow-shoeing outing on our former golf course (I use former because the depth of the snow is such that we shan't see it again until mid-June) with friends (one human, the other a Labrador-American).  I had intended to close the post with this excerpt from Rex Hoggard's 54-hole Doral game story:

Public service reminder: daylight saving time begins on Sunday. You know the drill –

spring forward, fall back. 

We offer this unsolicited advice only for the sake of J.B. Holmes, because at the rate the bomber is going at the WGC-Cadillac Championship it may be the only thing that could keep him from his first WGC win.

My intentions were to gently chide Rex that we've all seen this movie too often to think it was over, especially on a golf course with water in play on nineteen holes.  Shack, alluding to the leader's whining about the course, had this that should have had the theme music from Jaws in the background:

Beware though, the Golf Gods tend to punish course complaining when in the lead!

 I love the Defender of the Faith play, I just think that it's cruel to throw that out there without citations...  Did the Shark dis Dr. Mackenzie on a certain Saturday evening in 1996?

But Shack is chirping up a storm today, and who can really blame him?  

I believe I mentioned that J.B. Holmes ripping the course he was leading on is just the kind of thing our friends upstairs notice (a.k.a. the Golf Gods). And Bubba Watson griping about how he can't play a course after a 69? Noted upstairs. 

Oh sure, Dustin Johnson didn't three putt all week (!!!) on frighteningly fast greens and you say that's why he won. But we know better. The Golf Gods have always been architecture buffs. When players complain about the course they are shooting low scores on, they place a few calls!

A well-deserved victory lap for sure, and we'll even ignore the mission creep that included Bubba post hoc (the original comment clearly referenced only J.B.).  From the game story:

The six-month break from the game raised more questions about Dustin Johnson's personal life than his golf. He said it gave him time to work on a little of each, and he delivered answers to both Sunday at the Cadillac Championship. 

Johnson made up a five-shot deficit on J.B. Holmes and had a one-shot lead as he stood on the 18th tee at Trump National Doral, among the most daunting shots in golf. He produced his best drive all week, a monster shot that cleared the corner of the water and sent him to a routine par and a victory that never felt better.

He's played extremely well since he returned, except for the two days at the Honda which we'll just consider his Spring Training....Bob Harig anoints our DJ a/the Masters favorite and had this seeming candor from the winner:

"I would drink and drink to access,'' Johnson said in the ESPN interview. "The change I

made is I just don't do that anymore. I definitely have given up hard liquor 'cause that was the thing that I went to ... it's been a big change.'' 

On Sunday, Johnson was asked point blank if ever flunked a tour drug test. "No. Thanks,'' he said. 

Another question he dealt with why he hasn't been more forthcoming about his issues.

"It's personal and frankly ... it's not really anybody's business.''

Fair? Maybe. But still curious, especially when a top talent is gone for so long. If he entered some sort of rehab program, it wouldn't seem to have been for very long.

During the final holes yesterday, the Bride, an astute judge of character (with only the one obvious failure on her resume), posed an interesting question, "How come I don't like him?"  Because we don't like being lied to?  And because he's a man blessed with prodigious talent that seems determined to get as little out of it as possible?

DJ's charms similarly elude your humble correspondent, though I wish him well in realizing his talents.  This bit makes you think that perhaps he gets it:

"I knew I was really good," Johnson said. "I knew there was something I was missing that could make me great. I was working hard on that, and I think it's showing right now. ... It's tough. I'm so excited right now, I can't hardly talk. It feels great. The one definitely, by far, is the best one."

Perhaps...but I'm still stuck on that concept that the first step to beating a problem is to admit you have one.  But how about this bit from Commissioner Mumbles:

The PGA Tour's policy of not disclosing discipline -- except in the case of a failed performance enhancing drug test -- is really at the root of the issue that will likely not go away for Johnson. Why would he admit to any penalties if the tour won't announce them, won't make him disclose? It simply leads to rumors. 

"I think you raise a good point when you say, well, if it triggers a situation where a player is stepping away from the game or maybe being suspended but we really don't know, does that create confusion,'' said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, speaking earlier in the day about the tour's long-chided policy. "And that's one point that we are giving some thought to on that particular situation.'

 Take your time, Tim.....nothing to see here.  Linda Robertson of the Miami Herald can't control her excitement:

A climax packed with high-stakes golf shots on every hole injected intensity into the atmosphere at Trump National Doral. The vibe had been a little too mellow over the first three days, maybe because too many fans were chilling inside the various cocktail lounges and corporate suites arrayed around the grounds, or maybe because Holmes built a cushy lead, starting with his incredible opening-round 62, which prompted Donald Trump to ask for tougher pin placements on his revamped course. 

Even PGA Tour commissioner Tom Finchem acknowledged he’d heard the tournament described as “flat” and lacking “buzz.”

Close and exciting are not exactly synonyms, and I can't really share her excitement.  A couple of other trivial notes...First, when Commissioner Ratched made his appearance in the broadcast booth, the wife remarked that "He's a very small man with incredibly big hands."   That's just a rumor, my sweet...

Lastly, in the eraly Golf Channel coverage one of the talking heads mistakenly referred to this week's event as The Transitions Championship.  As all serious fans of golf are aware, it is the Valspar Championship now, but the over/under is three on the number of heads that exploded in Ponte Vedra Beach.

And are we sick of the club toss yet?  I've certainly done my part, but the notoriously publicity-shy

Donald Trump sent his diver (it's important that we know he has diver) into the drink to reclaim for posterity a certain Nike 3-iron, which no doubt will be on a wall somewhere soon to be gawked at in the presence of $30 cocktails.

Rory couldn't resit, after hitting his second (ball, not shot) into the water on No. 18, he gave us a feigned club toss just for old time's sake.  He then proceeded to chip in for double, so he's got that going for him.

Obligations beckon.  I hope to be back with more later, but in case not just a heads up that tomorrow is a travel day.

Doral Doings

Oh the inmates are getting restless...we're only in week two of the Florida swing, and folks are already refilling their Xanax prescriptions.

Aces Wild - The guys were holing out from everywhere except the carpark, but it was the almost back-to-back aces on the 227-yard fourth hole that created what little buzz can be found at Doral.  First it was the recent returnee from a drug suspension journey of personal discovery Dustin Johnson:

Then, 24 minutes later, it was leader J.B. Holmes:

Good stuff, and as noted on both broadcasts (it occurred during the early Golf Channel broadcast but NBC replayed it for obvious reasons), thanks to ProTracer, we saw clearly that the lads hit virtually the same shot:

If nothing else, ProTracer has had a great week...as for the announcers, well not so much.  Jimmy Roberts was gushing after the two aces and a couple of bunker hole-outs that this was the gosh darn most dramatic thing that had ever happened in golf...I don't know, I though four aces on one hole in a U.S. Open at Oak Hill might have been more dramatic, but I'm just a lowly blogger.

Then when a player nearly holed his second on a Par-5, Jimmy shared that "They say a double eagle is even rarer than a hole-in-one, don't they?"  Yes Jimmy, they say that because it's true...

Elementary Thoughts on Course Design from Holmes and Watson - Maybe simplistic or entitled is more apt, but our subject is the new first hole at Doral's Blue Monster, a 606-yard Par-5.  Here's our tourney leader's take after his second shot deflected into the water:

"It's pretty bad that you can hit two perfect shots and the ball can go in the water because of just a ridiculous green design that's really just terrible," said Holmes. "The shape of the green is fine, but it's not that wide anyways. And why you would put a giant hump in the middle of it to make a ball go in the water is ‑‑ it's stupid. Golf course is hard enough. You don't have to do that." 

When the course was redesigned a couple of years ago under Gil Hanse, it was lengthened and water brought into play right of the green.

 Adam Scott takes a more nuanced view of it:

"The green is just incredibly difficult," said Scott. "It is not inviting to hit any kind of long iron in at all with this kind of firmness, and it almost would be foolish to because I can pretty much tell you the outcome of what's going to happen if you pitch a long iron on the green. It pretty much forces you to lay up and test your pitching game. 

"I think we often expect to hit a par 5 in two just because we can reach it. I'm not sure that's necessarily the right thought but you know, (course designer) Gil (Hanse) is certainly asking the question of you down the first if you want to have a go. Even with a wedge in there, it's a pretty tough shot."

Unmentioned thus far is the fact that Holmes played his second shot with a 6-iron....remember, the hole is 606 yards long.  I only hope that J.B. has sufficient self-awareness to understand the conundrum that presents for the architect...he's lucky Gil didn't put a damn windmill in front of the green.

Here's Shack's rant on the subject:

So to recap, a player is 9-under through two rounds, the hole is averaging under par, it's 606 yards and the first is terrible because you might have to not go for it in two shots. You might have to ponder another way to the hole. Worse, it may not let you golf your ball exactly as you want to golf it. Terrible!

Ummm Geoff, I hope that made you feel better, but you've got a little spittle in th corner of your mouth.  No, the other side...

Oh, and I promised you Bubba's deep thoughts, after the curious 69 on Friday that featured two kick-in eagles:

“I can't stand the golf course. It's way too tough for me,” said Watson, who is tied for fourth place at 4 under, five shots behind frontrunner J.B. Holmes. “Donald Trump, he put together a tough one for me and very difficult. Seemed like I was in sand all day, like I was back in Pensacola Beach [Fla.].”

Tugs at your heart strings, doesn't it?  The Bubbamesiter apparently didn't get the memo that The Donald is irked that the course has been set up to play too easily.

The World's Most Famous 3-Iron - Reactions to Rory's club toss have been many and varied, but first things first, as you'll no doubt be pleased to learn that the club has been recovered:

I'd hope that someone would auction it off and give the proceeds to charity.  Maybe an anger management program...

And here's someone named Donal Hughes teaching his son the finer points of our game:

As our Shack notes, it's not bad sportsmanship, it's an opportunity to grow the game.

The Editors at The Loop take the opportunity to share some funny and/or scary club-tossing stories here, and I'll add my own.  As a much younger man I was on a boys trip to Myrtle Beach, the typical 36-ho;es a day type deal.  One of our compatriots dubbed it Golf Prison...

The organizer of the trip was a former friend named Jim Randall.  Jim later got all uppity and dropped his old friends so we feel no remorse at publicly shaming him in this forum.  Jim could hit the ball a long way, but had no clue about the golf swing (not that any of us did) and was firmly in the long and wrong camp.  He had just a dreadful round one afternoon when nothing went right, and his tee shot on the 18th with a 5-wood (he had given up on his driver earlier in the day) was no better than it's predecessors...

As the anger and frustration of a long day came to a head, Jim went into a whirly-bird, discus-thrower motion with the clear intent that the 5-wood should follow the Titleist into the water fronting the tee box.  But in a lightbulb-over-the-head moment, we saw him realize that the current course of action was irreversible, process a sudden course correction, and send the 5-wood instead into a grove of tress from which it would be retrievable.

Except that this a grove of extremely prickly trees, and his playing companions rather quickly lost interest in lending a hand.... he soldiered on, but after ripping his golf shirt he also gave up the hunt, and the 5-wood was never returned to his bag.  Which just pissed him off that much more...  Good times!

But now we must get serious for a moment, as issues of social justice have been raised.  There's no rest for the community organizers of the world, but the oh-so-important existential question has been posed, what if Tiger had tossed the club?  I know, Tiger who?  Curtis Bunn had this:

There was no protests from players, no complaints from golf legends. No nothing—except platitudes to McIlroy, actually, that he showed himself to be a regular guy.

What’s wrong with this picture? 

Woods tosses his club back to his golf bag in anger, curses under his breath, and he’s the angry Black man. Tom Watson says, “He needs to clean it up.”

Angry black man?  Ummm..technically, it's angry cablinasian man.... but are we really going to play the racism card here?  

Bob Harig also piles on, but really should know better.  The reaction is different for reasons having little to do with skin pigment, and a side-by-side video would make it clear.  Rory was actually smiling as he tossed the club, not cussing.  And he also helped himself with his self-aware comments after the fact, which you'd never get from Tiger. 

I agree that praise is somehow inappropriate for the circumstances, but we don't want him happy when he's playing poorly, do we?  But in Tiger's case it's really the profanity that's the issue, and that's absent here... and Rory's form was really good.