Thursday Threads

OK, where were we?  There's lots to discuss, so without further ado...

Fox's Mulligan - I stole that from an anonymous headline writer, but if only... because a mulligan negates that unwanted first shot, whereas we'll always have our precious Chambers Bay memories:

Paul Azinger will become the new lead analyst for Fox Sports golf telecasts in 2016,

replacing Greg Norman, according to sources. 

Azinger, 56, won 12 PGA Tour titles including the 1993 PGA Championship during his playing career, and captained the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2008. He was an analyst for ABC golf telecasts, where he teamed with Nick Faldo, and has most recently been an analyst for ESPN’s telecasts of the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open.

Azinger will sign a multi-year contract and will partner in the booth with Joe Buck. Their producer is Mark Loomis, who as the coordinating producer at ABC made the decision at the 2004 Tour Championship to team Azinger and Faldo, along with anchor Mike Tirico. The trio worked together through the 2006 season, when ABC lost the rights to telecast PGA Tour events. According to sources, Azinger will work the U.S. Open, the U.S. Senior Open, the U.S. Amateur, and the U.S. Open Women's Open this year.

We knew that, as Zinger's name was floated in the original story.  But this, from Fox's press release,I think is also for the good:

New York – Paul Azinger, winner of the 1993 PGA Championship and veteran broadcaster, has joined FOX Sports as lead analyst for its golf coverage, beginning in 2016. Azinger joins seven-time Emmy Award-winning announcer Joe Buck and analyst Brad Faxon in the 18th Tower for FOX Sports’ USGA Championship telecasts. The announcement was made today by John Entz, President, Production & Executive Producer, FOX Sports and Mark Loomis, Coordinating Producer, USGA Studio & Event Production.

The risk of course is clutter, with the guys struggling to find empty air time to offer their thoughts.  But Fax is good, perhaps every bit as good as Zinger, and I'm guessing will spar well with the highly-opinionated and occasionally unfiltered Zinger.

Mark Loomis, the guy responsible for it all, had this to say:

"When you think about a team, you get the best people you can get, you play a season, and you say 'How do we get better?'" Loomis said. "We've made hundreds of changes people don't know about, and what they do know is we changed Greg. It's no more than changing some pieces around."

So we're to conclude that he doesn't consider Joe Buck to be in his top "hundreds" of problems?   More likely that's a place Loomis can't go, so hopefully Joe will take a Valium and tone it down when surrounded by competent talent.

Torrey North - We've covered the strange renovation project at this municipal facility, but with the Tour decamping in La Jolla you no doubt knew it would be on our menu.  First, Tom Weiskopf seemed to have mostly sensible things to say, but I can't help but start with this rather curious exchange from the transcript:

Q. Having played the TOUR and having had great success, there's the great debate as it relates to the U.S. Open and your designing this for the average fan, but you're designing it also for the U.S. Open. Where do you draw the line between building a "obstacle course" versus a golf course to save the integrity of par for the U.S. Open? Is it a big debate? 

TOM WEISKOPF: Well, no, that's a very good question. I think any good design -- it wouldn't be difficult to build the world's hardest golf course. It wouldn't be difficult for me to make that so hard at 7,100 yards. But you got to remember again, let's go back to the purpose of it. It's to make people come here, enjoy themselves with a round of golf where the pros play, and it is what it is. I'm not going to compare that to the South Course. I mean that has great length. That has, what is it? 7,600 from all the way back now. We don't have room to do that. That's not the purpose of this golf course.

Tom's answer goes on for many more 'graphs, which is hard to understand given that one assumes he's aware that the U.S. Open is NOT played on this golf course.

This piece captures the best of Tom;s thoughts, to wit that this is a public course and should not be as difficult as the South Course, especially since the big boys play it exactly once a year.

Now, what should be done with this course is a far broader subject than we'll get into at this point, though the process by which Weiskopf was selected was certainly suspect.  Shack, who's forgotten more about course architecture than I'll ever know had these reasonably positive comments:

A plan was shared and I have a copy, posted below. It's not going to bowl you over in the sense that the course will remain very similar to what is there now, perhaps missing a few opportunities to better incorporate the sage scrub canyon edges. But it's very exciting in the sense that it is respectful of the existing layout, which is still a wonderful, playable, interesting course. We'll see how the bunkers and greens are executed, but the bones are being respected. 

The only bummer? The dreadful pond added post-William F. Bell is still in front of a new 17th green that will be built behind the current hole.

Here is said plan:

Does that clear things up?  There's very little of interest in the routing, with the exception of the downhill Par-3 sixth hole and uphill Par-4 seventh (pictured above), and that's pretty damning for a golf course built on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean.

Phil obviously had some thoughts to share with us at his presser:

"I don't understand the politics of it at all," Mickelson said of the impending redesign of Torrey Pines North, which Mickelson had hoped to direct but which instead will be overseen by Tom Weiskopf. "It makes no sense. I think it's terrible business practices, but it's what we live with here." 

Mickelson was one of the first designers to consult with the City of San Diego about Torrey North, perched on the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean, and had said he would even waive his design fee. But because he was part of the preliminary talks, the California Fair Political Practices Commission forbid Mickelson's design group from submitting a formal bid. 

"I'm not bitter about it," Mickelson said. "I just kind of learned to accept that as being one of the sacrifices of living in California. It is a personal place, it is a personal thing for me because of the memories, the history, the nostalgia that I feel every time I walk on the grounds here.

I'm gonna suggest that he does understand and is bitter, but what else can he say?  For anyone unfamiliar with the cesspool that is governmental contracting, this is a common anti-corruption provision to prevent those designing the specs of a project from inserting provisions that will favor themselves or specific other parties in the bidding process.

But this is the graph from Phil that has people suing the term "missed opportunity":

"I see the potential," Mickelson added. "It's the greatest site in the world. I see the opportunity to bring the canyon back into the golf course, to eliminate acres and acres of unnecessary grass that require water and maintenance, and to make it even more playable for the average guy where they can run shots up, and yet have tucked pins for the Tour players."

That you'd go forward without seeing what that might look like is truly unfortunate...

Feathers, Ruffled - There's little doubt that the Torrey story is the more significant, but this this Phil bit is the more likely to leave you with a smile...

Phil had to apply some tough love, but we'll get to that in  a sec.... First, a little background.  Ryan Ruffles is a 17-year old Australian that recently turned pro in what seems like the Justin Rose model.  he's a tremendous talent but awfully young even by Spiethian standards.  No one's asking, but you'd think a couple of years in a strong college program might be a good idea...

Phil and the youngster played a "friendly" match in December and here's what you need to know:

As the printed story went, Tim Mickelson, Phil's younger brother and the

Arizona State men's golf coach, was the third member of the group after Phil Mickelson called Ruffels to set up the game. The stakes: If the five-time major winner Mickelson won, he would get $2,500, to be paid once Ruffels turned professional. If Ruffels won, Mickelson would pay him $5,000. 

Ruffels is quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald saying he birdied six of the last seven holes and "took his money, so that was pretty cool." 

The Mickelson camp says the $5,000 number is way off, and that the Mickelson quote that made the rounds -- "I don't wake up this early to play for any less than $2,500" -- never happened. Ruffels's management team has gone on record saying the story has been "overdone," and on social media Ruffels has tried to downplay the episode, complaining of inaccuracies. He and his agent also have said he'd decided to turn pro long before the match with Phil, lest anyone accuse ASU coach Tim Mickelson of recruiting him.

You get where this headed, no?  The first rule of Fight Club and all that....  So, here's Phil from his presser:

Q. You've been such an inspiration for younger players. Talk about Ryan Ruffels and your relationship with him. 

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, that's an interesting one. He's a very nice person. I met him a month ago, and we played for the first time. He, he's young, and he's got some things to learn. 

One of them is you don't discuss certain things. You don't discuss specifics of what you play for. And you certainly don't embellish and create a false amount just for your own benefit. So those things right there are -- that's high school stuff, and he's going to have to stop doing that now that he's out on the PGA Tour.

That's a lot of damage control for one morning...  I'm assuming it has to violate NCAA guidelines as well as putting Ruffles amateur status in peril.  But that's all hyper-technical stuff compared to the fun of the story.

But it also points to why a 17-year old shouldn't be out there...  there's an understandable lack of maturity and I suspect that the young man is going to have a difficult few years ahead of him.  Not the path I'd suggest for anyone similarly situated...

Today in Grooming - We've had fun recently with Boo Weekly's bodacious beard, shorts during practice rounds and other stories touching on the appearance of golf professionals.  The amusing irony in these stories is that it makes us sound like our grandparents when we opine that the guys need to look a certain way.

Commissioner Ratched has taken the Potter Stewart approach to this subject, the I know it when I see it school of thought.  This is one of those times when I'm not too tough on the Commish, because it's actually hard to write rules that make sense (and there's also the complication that the lads are not actually employees of the Tour).

But it turns out that I was unaware that the Tour had some....well, what shall we call them?  self-help remedies?  Take a look at this Thomas Pieters tweet:

 Heh.  How funny is that?  The Tour issued this statement from Tom Hagen Ty Votaw:

"In the standard process of prepping new headshots for broadcast TV, electronic scoreboards and other uses - which always requires a bit of retouching and color-correction - our vendor was a bit too heavy-handed in the editing of Thomas Pieters' photo. The image has been returned more closely to the original photo - although some editing is always required - and reissued to our database. We regret this sequence of events and meant no disrespect to Thomas. We think he has a great head of hair."

Ty, we see the color correction and all, but you gave the guy a haircut...Stay tuned, because this is Boo Weekly's current headshot:

Whereas, this is Boo 2.0:

Insert your own Grizzly Adams joke....

Tuesday Tidbits

Tomorrow will be a travel day, so let's have at it...

There's Got To be A Morning After - Ah, the sweet life of a Tour pro... No sooner do they hand you that trophy in the shape of a falcon....

The wheels of Fowler’s commercial jet left the ground at 2:30 a.m. in the United Arab

Emirates, and when they touched down again nearly 17 hours later in San Francisco early on Monday morning, the buzz in the golf world already had turned to ditching the current “Big Three” by adding another member to the club. 

"Fab Four?" 

“It’s really cool,” Fowler, 27, said after the clinic he co-hosted with first-year PGA Tour pro Hunter Stewart. “It’s somewhere that I haven’t been before. To be inside that top five is pretty special.” 

Fowler vaulted from sixth to fourth in the rankings, passing his good friend at No. 5, Bubba Watson. Spieth, Jason Day – who is defending his Farmers Open title this week -- and McIlroy are in front, but Fowler has closed the gap with top-10 finishes in seven of his last 14 starts.

Fab Four?  Where have I heard that before?  But which one is Ringo?

This need to define specifically the elite grouping alliteratively remains amusing, though I prefer to embrace the uncertainty.  Yes, that top grouping, be it whatever number, is quite impressive, but there's a wealth of young talent still on the outside looking in.  

 A well-earned victory lap but pace yourself folks, this is just the appetizer....

Forward Press, Distaff Edition - Shack uses his weekly feature to preview the LPGA season:

The LPGA Tour begins its season this week and the big news? There is no news. 

Sure, World No. 1 and all-around lovable star Lydia Ko is passing because she’s launching 2016 in her native New Zealand. But even her absence speaks to the stability that is the LPGA Tour. 

In a golf world focused too often on getting bigger, grander and cooler, LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan conveys a sense of vision that knows his tour’s strengths and limitations, something longtime PGA Tour tournament directors grumble about privately when hearing Tim Finchem’s constant growth mantra.

Whan has done a nice job, and the Tour is in a better spot than it's been in many years.  Of course he needs a product to promote, and there he's been blessed.

Now, Mike, about that fifth major?

The Jokes, They Write Themselves - Our Shack is everywhere these days, here discussing the USGA's pace of play initiative:

PASADENA, Calif. -- The deliberate push by the USGA to speed up the game moved west to California’s Brookside Golf Course for its third Pace of Play Symposium. The best data revealed over two days has begun to help the USGA’s smart team target the ways both tournaments and facilities can make pace-of-play strides. 

Just give it time.

Hence the header....

There's some interesting results being shared:

Early research unveiled at the seminar definitively showed that better tee-time spacing will eliminate bottlenecks, whether it’s in LPGA Tour tournaments (where rounds were eliminated by as much as 22 minutes) or at the everyday golf facility. A solid 50 percent of golfers surveyed say that bottlenecks are more bothersome than the overall length of a round.

Eliminated?  That smells like an auto-correct fail...Moving on, here's where the rubber meets the road:

Course operators don’t want to give up precious times, with only 18 percent believing any solution to pace issues is possible. To get their attention and show how the USGA is coming at this from all angles, speakers Henry DeLozier and Stephen Johnston of Global Golf Advisors revealed findings showing a younger generation of golfers are willing to pay more for golf if they feel a course is making an effort to solve pacing issues.

To me it's got the feel of a doctorate thesis....there's interesting data but those of us in the trenches crave something a tad more tangible.  But given Geoff's optimism, give it a read and draw your own conclusions.

The Wind Cries Herbert -  Have you read any Herbert Warren Wind?  Sheesh, and you call yourself a golf fan...

Wind's New Yorker pieces were an integral part of my infatuation with our game, specifically his North, To the Links of Dornoch provided my first recognition that the game was played differently over there.  

Joell Beall informs us of a coming anniversary under the guise of six things you didn't know about HWW:

Yet only one is considered godfather of golf literature: Herbert Warren Wind. 

Wind began covering golf for The New Yorker in 1941, and over the next five decades, described the game with an avant-garde style that has since been imitated, but never duplicated. During that span, he also worked for Sports Illustrated and contributed to Golf Digest, his contributions making such an impact that Wind became the first writer to win the USGA's coveted Bob Jones Award, and was selected to the World Golf Hall of Fame posthumously in 2008. 

August marks the 100th anniversary of Wind's birth, and his influence on the game remains evident. To introduce Wind to another generation, Open Road Media is releasing seven of his books digitally, the first time the writer's work has been made available on eBook platforms.

He was a special man and made an immeasurable contribution to our game, though I'm hard pressed to consider his style avant-garde.... His articles were lengthy, but one never rushed through them... I always thought that his pacing matched the languorous feel of the game he was describing.

Read Joel's piece but, more importantly, is you're unfamiliar with The Master, why are you denying yourself that pleasure?

Imitation, Flattery - You know the old saw, but that's when you copy someone else...  Gary Koch had an interesting short feature on the Sunday broadcast of the back nines of Pete Dye's two stadium courses.  Here's Shack's take on it:

There are two ways of looking at Golf Channel's analysis from Gary Koch comparing TPC Sawgrass and PGA West.

You could say that Pete Dye was merely rehashing a proven formula in the desert, or you could say he was cleverly importing his eastern concept, with a western spin for clients who wanted another version of Sawgrass.

Alas, you'll have to click through to watch the video, as the best I can muster is this screen shot:

The similarities are quite surprising, especially in the three finishing homes.  Given that both properties were blank canvasses with no interesting features to be utilized, you might have thought that Pete would consciously mix it up a little.  Good work by Gary, though.

Weekend Wrap

Props are due to the NFL for providing a seam in its coverage of the conference championship games to allow us to catch the wacky denouement of the Bob Hope Chrysler Humana Dinah Shore Career Builder Challenge.

Return of The Duf - Unless and until Lumpy returns to form, my house will be found firmly in the Jason Dufner camp, as Employee No. 2 likes her golfers to be "full-figured".  So it was indeed a happy day at Unplayable Lies World HQ:

A remarkable escape on a hole called Alcatraz allowed Jason Dufner to stay alive in the 

If ever a photo screamed for a caption contest...

CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation on Sunday. Dufner then watched as the rocks and water he had avoided in regulation claimed David Lingerth as a victim in a playoff. 

Dufner survived a perilous pitch shot from a precarious spot on the island green at the 17th hole of TPC Stadium Course at PGA West, rolled in a tough-as-nails par putt to extend the playoff and then made a routine par on the second playoff hole to defeat Lingmerth for the title. 

It was Dufner’s fourth PGA Tour win, but his first since taking the 2013 PGA Championship. 

And it’s a win he knows was a bit fortunate.

More than a bit for sure...  It's good to have the Duf back among the living, and if any of you missed it here is The Great Escape:

But to be fair, as lucky as this was he should be remembered more for his par on the first playoff hole that kept him alive.

Orange Is The New Black - Oklahoma State Orange, that is....Derek Lawrenson reminds us of how far we've come in a year:

The best thing that happened to Rickie Fowler was being called overrated by his fellow pros. Either that, or the media deciding Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day were the new Big Three. 

The popular American has quietly used those verdicts as fuel to compile a fine body of work over the past eight months, one that has seen him rise stealthily to become the world No 4 following his impressive one-stroke triumph in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday. 

Naturally, it only increased the satisfaction that world No 3 McIlroy was trailing behind him in joint third place and No 1 Spieth in fifth spot.

There's little doubt that our Rickie has learned to close, this being his fourth significant win (though likely the least significant of the four) in the last year.  But if you think Duf benefited from good fortune, take a look at Rickie's final round hole-outs.  

Jason Sobel had this on Rickie's closing skills:

Call it the clutch gene or a learned trait, but it's no coincidence. We can safely proclaim that he thrives under pressure. 

None of which is to say that Jordan Spieth or Jason Day or Rory McIlroy -- the only three players in the world who will be ranked ahead of Fowler come Monday morning -- aren't similarly clutch. Each of them has won major championships, a fact which alone speaks volumes of their ability to close under pressure. 

A related fact -- that Fowler hasn't yet won one -- is the usual cry from critics who still, somehow, doubt his talents. 

While Fowler himself is the first to insist that he doesn't belong in a conversation with the so-called modernized "Big Three" because he doesn't have a major, it should be noted that he hasn't exactly flamed out in these tournaments, either. Prior to turning 27 last month, he posted a half-dozen top-10s at majors, including results of fifth or better at each of them two years ago.

We are blessed with quite the abundance of young talent at this moment in time, and it's not clear that it will be limited to a Big Four.  

Hubris or Schadenfreude, You Make the Call -  No disrespect to Rickie's accomplishment, but I'm voting for this as the most significant development from Abu Dhabi, as the Woeld No. One embraces his inner Lillie Von Schtupp:

“It won’t be something I’ll do in the future, to bounce back and forth from Asia as much

as we did, or Australia,” Spieth said here Sunday. “I’m very tired. As a team we’re beat up mentally and physically. I’m not 100 percent right now. It shows in certain places.” 

Spieth tied for fifth at 11-under 277, five shots behind countryman Rickie Fowler. Spieth probably would have put up a better fight if he’d had his A game with him. 

“The first day I was here, I was striping it,” Spieth said. “Since then I have been a little weak, and my decision-making has been off.”

But I was assured the 22-year-olds don't get tired.  Jordan is no doubt a fine young man, though he's not so good at the listening thing...

Fortunately he's headed home for some well-earned rest....Errr.....NOT!  Instead of resting or playing at Torrey Pines in an event that supported him with sponsor's exemptions when he was boot-strapping his way onto the Tour, he'll be chasing a large appearance fee at The Singapore Open, an event so prestigious that they haven't bothered to hold it in several years.

This is foolishness-on-stilts, and it's a bit troubling that he has no one on his team that recognizes it as such.  We have the most insane golf schedule ever this year, and Jordan will no doubt have to incorporate both Rio and Chaska, MN into his hectic schedule.  And he's tired in January!

Folks who are concerned about the schedule have speculated as to who it will affect most, with the conventional wisdom being that the older guys need to take care.  But I've a contrary thought, that it might hit those that think they;re immune to fatigue.... and I've got a candidate.

Yeah, That's the Ticket -  The Shark channels his inner Jon Lovitz with this priceless concern about those left behind:

"I can honestly say that I am shocked and surprised," the two-time major winner said in a statement to GOLF.com. 

Fox executives have not said why they axed Norman after just one year in the booth next to Joe Buck, but when news of his dismissal broke, a Fox source who asked to remain anonymous told GOLF.com that Norman didn't adequately prepare for the broadcasts.

"I think Joe Buck is actually now in a tough position, because we became great friends and I believe we had a great foundation," Norman said. "The whole team really had a good chemistry, so I think it will be a challenge to recreate the formula. I am certain Fox has someone in mind already."

Let the unpacking begin....  I completely get that he's shocked, since he didn't have to watch their broadcasts.  Lucky that...

That second graph is a bit of a red herring....they told us exactly why he was fired, just not on the record.

I agree that Fox has someone in mind, but the pity is that anyone would really be an upgrade.

Braid's Brawest Restored - A friend of mine went to Scotland for the first time last summer with his son, and went to play the Ryder Cup course at Gleneagles.  As I unmercifully told him, that was a double-unforced error... the first going to Gleneagles, which while a wonderful resort is inland and therefore not a links.  The second being that they played the wrong course there.

Now comes this welcome news of a restoration of their King's Course:

They include re-aligning selected fairways to return them to Braid’s design, bringing

several bunkers back into play, and reinstating heather stands around the course. 

The installation of the latest bunker drainage and lining technology, as well as an extensive aeration and sanding programme, will be undertaken. 

Scott Fenwick, Gleneagles golf courses and estate manager, said the aim was to return the King’s Course “closer” to Braid’s original vision. 

He said: “We’ll widen the approaches to some of the green complexes to enable traditional pitch and run shots to be played, reintroduce tighter mown turf on green surrounds and reshape the bunkers and raise the sand lines."

It's a wonderful golf course with some of the most imaginative and dramatic bunkering  to be found on an inland golf course.  I do think if you're headed to the Auld Sod for the first time one should cling to the coast, as we play inland golf every day of our sheltered lives.

But if you're headed to Perthshire, play the historic venue....

By the way, the title comes from the name for the 13th hole on the King's Course, a stout two-shotter worthy of the name.

Snowmageddon Saturday

It's quite the juxtaposition.... my field of vision ranges from the golf in Abu Dhabi on the left periphery to the raging storm on the right.  As long as the power lines stay put, it'll be just fine.

So, as long as we're here for the duration, shall we catch up on a few things?  In no particular order of course...

Hualalei Happenings - No doubt the least significant professional golf being played this weekend is on the Big Island of Hawaii, a course I played in 2002 after marrying the artist known as Employee No. 2.  It's quite the forgettable track in most regards, except for the rather intimidating lava formations.

In any event, I blog this event only because 66-year-old Tom Watson fired a 7-under 65 to put himself two off the lead, using what Mark Rolfing called a FIFA-ball.  Here's a look:

Wacky, eh?  Here's an explanation via Club Up Golf:

Tom Watson, along with Marc Lieshman, signed with Callaway this January. It’s a full equipment deal meaning he’s using the drivers, irons, and Callaway golf balls. His choice of balls, as first shown in this video, is a very interesting one. He’s using theCallaway Truvis Chrome Soft golf balls, and, correct us if we’re wrong, but we don’t know of any other professional using the Callaway Truvis in competitive play . . . heck, we’ve never even seen one pop up on the course! 

The Callaway Truvis is designed to aid the golfer visually, and we don’t want to make any age or eyesight related remarks towards Mr. Watson, but this is definitely unique, and it seemed to help his stroke.

 I used the Chrome Soft for most of last season, but not sure I'm up for the verbal abuse that using this one would entail.

Wassup Wazzock? - We love learning new words, even from the N.Y. Times.  No doubt you heard about the online petition in the U.K. to ban Donald Trump, signed by a half-million people with nothing better to do.  Here's how the parliamentary debate played out:

LONDON — They called him a “fool,” a “buffoon” and even a “wazzock” — English

slang for a combination of the two. 

Yet even as British lawmakers roundly condemned the brash Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump on Monday, with language that could have been lifted from his Twitter feed, they appeared to back away from the idea of barring him from entering the country. 

A three-hour debate in Parliament on whether to bar Mr. Trump from traveling to Britain was set off by an electronic petition, signed by more than 570,000 Britons, which likened Mr. Trump to those denied entry to the country for engaging in “hate speech.”

OK, this is profoundly disturbing for an allegedly free country, but I hasten to add that there are far more dangerous things that a legislature could and usually would be doing.

Read the article for a full appreciation for the incredible lightness of being an MP these days.  But as an exit question, do we think they could work up as much indignation for these folks? 

This Is My Shocked Face - Have you heard that golf is going to be in The Olympics?  I know, you'd think it would get more coverage...  So, the powers that be want to hold a test event on the golf course, and it's getting complicated:

"We've got a good list of players who are, quote, interested in coming," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. "But we don't have a long list of players who are committed to coming. That's the case with the guys who are currently playing on the PGA Tour, just because of the schedule, looking ahead to the summer, seeing the compaction. So I don't know."

Gee, that's a chin-scratcher...   but this might provide a chuckle for you:

Every sport must have an event at the Olympic venue ahead of the Rio Games. Finchem said if golf can pull together this outing, it will count as the test event. 

"We can do that with any combination of players that are being talked to," he said. "Also, I think it's probably most important to get international players. We don't know how it's going to wind up. We've got transportation issues and a sponsor the next week that's watching and saying, 'Am I going to lose anybody?'"

Concern for your sponsors?  Why start now?

Read the piece for a detailed view of the scheduling complications and please bear in mind that this is for March.  Yanno, what I like to think of as ski season...  The summer will be insane for these guys.

Need a further laugh?  Golf Channel has a countdown to Olympic Golf in the lower right-hand portion of the screen, at least on Morning Drive.  For those keeping score at home, it's 195 days, ten hours and....sheesh, does anyone care?

Sponsor Shuffle - Northern Trust is a venerable Chicago institution, so their sponsorship of the event formerly known as the Los Angeles Open has always seemed illogical.  Doug Ferguson brings us up to date on the musical chairs:

Northern Trust is moving its title sponsorship on the PGA Tour from Los Angeles to New York and will become the opening FedEx Cup playoff event next year, which could create a small domino effect of sponsors. 

Barclays has decided not to renew its title sponsorship after 12 years in the New York area. Starting in 2017, the FedEx Cup playoff's first event will be called The Northern Trust. It will keep the previous courses, starting with Glen Oaks in 2017 and rotating among Ridgewood, Plainfield, Liberty National and Bethpage Black.

Fair enough, but does NY make any more sense for NoTrust than LA?  One of my major gripes with Commissioner Ratched is that his substantive additions to the golf calendar, think WGC and FedEx events, have all put him in the position of competing with his pre-existing sponsors.  I therefore view this as NoTrust choosing to switch in lieu of fighting....

Hyundai, whose U.S. operations are based in SoCal, will assume sponsorship of the Riviera event.

Disquisitions on the "C" Word - Josh Sens over-interprets the Donald Trump-Samuel L. Jackson contretemps, but who cares when there's fun to be had.  First, he introduces us to the delightfully-named Puggy:

That child grew up to be Walter (Puggy) Pearson, among the most egregious golf cheats of all time. In a long and notorious life, Pearson was best known as a sharp-toothed card shark, but his skill set carried over nicely to the course. A latecomer to the game, he jerry-rigged a respectable swing while mastering the underhanded fundamentals of the foot-wedge and the surreptitious drop. 

Not that he worried about getting caught. 

One difference between Puggy and countless other fraudsters is that he owned up willingly to his transgressions. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” was his famous explanation for a flagrant violation he committed in a big-money match against a drug kingpin that he’d been winning handily but was forced to forfeit.

I wasn't familiar with Puggy nor was I aware of Jane Blaylock's scarlet "C":

In those same dusty archives, you also find a dossier devoted to Jane Blalock, the Hester Prynne of the women’s game. In a nearly 20–year career, Blalock won 27 LPGA Tour events, including the inaugural Dinah Shore (before it was designated as a major), yet her legacy of triumph is entangled with charges that she improperly marked her ball and tamped down spike marks during the 1972 season. A player petition led to her suspension, which Blalock fought successfully. In 1974, she notched another legal victory when a court ruled that the LPGA was in violation of antitrust regulations. The following year, Blalock’s suit against the tour was settled, so officially, at least, the black mark is long gone.

Sandwiched between those two stories are these conclusions that I think miss some obvious points:

Never mind due process, hard evidence, confessions. Unlike other sports, where a pitcher 

who scuffs balls or a lineman who holds jerseys can pass as crafty, golf makes no allowances. It applies the “c” in cheater like a scarlet letter. To be accused is to be condemned. 

Anyone who doubts this might spend some time sifting through the history of judgments in golf’s harsh court of public opinion. There you come upon the case of the World vs. Vijay Singh, who still bridles at questions (because people still raise them) over cheating allegations that date more than 30 years. The Asian tour slapped Singh with a two-year suspension, so he served his time. But in the eyes of some, his sentence might never end.

First, Josh seems to elide the important distinction between Puggy, a professional gambler, and a professional golfer.   But of greater import, is the reference to the Veej.  And your homework is to read this 1996 Sports Illustrated piece by John Garrity, 

I've long believed and noted here previously that Singh has brought this upon himself.  I don't doubt for a second that the golf world understands how difficult our game is and how young players struggle to make a life for themselves in the game.  That such a young player would take a short-cut in the heat of the moment doesn't mean, as Josh notes, that it's a lifetime sentence.

But one has to ask for forgiveness, and that's where I believe Veej dug himself a hole.  In continuing to protest his innocence, and on that subject Garrity's article is quite damning, he's made it impossible for people to move on.  

RIead more here: http://www.centredaily.com/news/business/article55415165.html#storylink=cpy

Midweek Musings

Did you even notice my absence for the last two days?  Travel and some family obligations got in the way, but now I'm all yours.  At least for the next hour...

Scenes From The Desert - While all eyes were on the marque group of Spieth-McIlroy-Fowler, the mad scientist snuck up on them:

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Bryson DeChambeau was still in high

school when he told his father: "I think I can change the game of golf."

On Thursday, he was comparing his trailblazing qualities to those of Albert Einstein and George Washington, and calling himself "The Golf Scientist."

One thing's for sure about the 22-year-old DeChambeau, he isn't lacking in confidence.

And he's got the game to back it up. 

DeChambeau shot an 8-under 64 at the Abu Dhabi Championship to take the first-round lead in what might be the strongest field in a European Tour event this year. Not bad for an amateur making only his seventh start in a professional tournament, and his first on the regular European Tour - through an invitation.

Just a quick reminder that he's still an amateur, but he's certainly acquitted himself well when playing against those  play for pay.  As Snowmageddon heads our way, set your DVRs and buckle in.

As we covered a few months back, new Euro Tour majordomo Keith Pelley has declared the moral equivalent of war on slow play.  Towards that end, that marquee group was put on the clock and World No. One was assessed a "monitoring penalty".

We'll award Mr. Pelley 3 1/2 stars for effort, but no stars for implementation, as the penalty was $2,800.00.  I don't even need to finish the thought, as the astute reader (and that's the only kind we have here) realizes that you can't hurt these lads with fines.  As a secondary thought, none of the players in that grouping are slowpokes, so I suspect something else was going on...

Shark Leavings - By now I assume you've traversed the first five stages of grief, and are beginning to see life as still worth living despite not having The Shark to kick around any longer.  But, as that annoying redhead noted, the sun will come out tomorrow.... OK< not literally tomorrow because of that Noreaster, don't be so technical with me...

The Shark himself posted this on Instagram, almost as insidious as the above song lyric:

#MondayMorningMotivator "Over the years, I’ve learned that no business can stand still. There are always changes in ownership and personnel, and invariably challenges with keeping your product or service relevant and in-demand. The reality is that businesses change, they evolve. We are going to keep moving – just like a shark.”

We get it, Greg.  A shark....so, you're not just a bare-chested living brand!

But Shack reminded us of an early indicator that we ignored:

Because to be honest with you, I never watch golf. I really didn’t because I thought it was kind of boring. And the presentation was boring. So now that we have Fox on board, we are…I am really looking forward to it and I know golf is really excited about it."

Golf has gotten over it, but that was an early tell.  Nothing like trashing a product that you don't sample, then mailing it in when you get your chance.

As Shack reminds, Norman was hired before producer Mark Loomis, effectively tying the latter's hands.  Fox and Loomis deserve credit for cutting their losses, but as I noted in the prior post, it's not even clear that Norman was the biggest problem.

For reasons that escape me, Jaime Diaz offers five options for Fox to replace Norman...  This is curious because we know who the replacement will be, and of course he's No. 1 on Jaime's list.  This list of criteria is unobjectionable, though a tad generic:

• Golf knowledge, the deeper the better.

• First hand experience, preferably including having won the major championship being covered, ideally multiple times. Along with a corresponding willingness and ability to pull generously from career-wide experiences to recount the kind of anecdotes that bring a deeper understanding to big moments.

• Candor, for which the simplest litmus test would be describing a badly pulled miss from six feet not as a safe, protect-the-player-misread, but as a nervous stroke.

• Original thinking, facilitated by intuition and spontaneity, and demonstrates the confidence and courage to posit something fresh.

• A pleasing delivery, with humor as the ultimate bonus, but which is ultimately measured by concision, a conversational style that includes the ability to converse, and a genuine empathy for the difficulty of competitive golf.

His first two choices are Zinger and Brandel Chamblee, which are as obvious as they are predictable. Ummm, but see how you react to No.3:

3. JACK NICKLAUS

Ultimate credibility. In the tradition of Bobby Jones, his willingness to open his unmatched competitive mind and position as GOAT makes him the game’s most compelling explainer. He’s always enjoyed give and take interview sessions with the media, and that much more as he grown older. The question is, at age 76, has his energy and most crucially, his interest, waned to the point that the job would be a chore. But if he were called in only for the U.S. Open broadcast, Nicklaus would do what he always does in big moments – come through.

Jaime, you ignorant slut.  Seriously, where does one start?

Much as I hate to criticize a man on his birthday (Happy 76th, Jack) and as much as I love the man, ABC used him as a commentator way back when and he just wasn't very good.  His voice is not TV-friendly and his commentary was quite anodyne, what Greg Norman would call boring.

Plus Fox needs to build a team, and they need to work together repeatedly, not have a tribal elder there for just the one event.  

A Short Story -  First came this story from a land far far away:

You have to love players willing to bare all for the sake of their sport. So get ready to see

a lot more skin on this year’s European Tour. 

Actually, make that men baring their legs. 

The European Tour looks set to continue the rule set in Kuala Lumpur last week allowing players to practice in shorts during the EurAsia Cup. European captain Darren Clarke petitioned the Tour last week to allow his players to wear shorts in the oppressive humidity of Kuala Lumpur. 

EurAsia Cup tournament director David Garland initially turned down the Ryder Cup captain’s request. The Northern Irishman appealed to European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley, and Pelley agreed to let the players wear shorts in practice as long as they wore long trousers during the match.

 Then this marginally influential chap stuck his nose into the matter:

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Jordan Spieth says the PGA Tour should take a cue from its European counterpart and allow players to wear shorts. 

“I think it’s awesome,” Spieth said Wednesday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, responding to the European Tour’s relaxed dress code during tournament practice rounds and pro-ams. "It will be something that I would love to see on the PGA Tour, as well. I’ve not heard one person complain about it."

I believe that this Instagram will settle the matter quickly:

Need I say more?  Actually, I needn't, because Geoff did:

Pro golfers wearing pants has nothing to do with tradition and everything to do with aesthetics.

When you're at a pro golf event and you hear spikes, you will turn to find a well-dressed, pressed and fitted person probably clad in one-too-many logos. But you'll also have no doubt you are seeing a professional in his/her arena. A gladiator of sorts, in their arena. One that we have paid to come see perform. 

Athletes should stand out and look impressive. They shouldn't dress look like the rest of us. Pants on a golfer, for whatever reason, add a certain gravitas. Golfers wearing shorts have no chance of standing out and, contrary to claims, do not appear to be more athletic by exposing their legs. Instead, they look like they're late for their 1:20 tee time at any old course, not The Old Course. 

So while I certainly can respect the view that it's time to push aside the pant aesthetic, I can't agree that demands by administrators to wear them has anything to do with tradition. It is, as the kids say, what it is. We just know class when we see it. This isn't classy or particularly athletic:

He's referring to Poults in that last bit.... Classy?  Why start now?

A Tradition.... - Good post title by our Shack, but they had some good old fun in the desert before things got serious:

This Spieth-Fowler cage match with McIlroy-Stenson is now formally known as The Rider Cup:

Call me a traditionalist, but I long for the good old days:

I don't judge a man by the color of his skin, but rather by the length of his sword...

Weekend Wrap

Lots to talk about today, and since my legs are fried we just might go long.  We'll start with what is the least interesting of our items...

Going Low - Fabian Gomez wasn't in the picture on Sunday at the Sony, until he was:

HONOLULU (AP) -- Fabian Gomez of Argentina closed with two birdies for an 8-under

62, and then made his 11th birdie of the day on the second playoff hole to beat Brandt Snedeker on Sunday in the Sony Open. 

Gomez won for the second time on the PGA Tour, and this one was much tougher.

Starting the final round four shots behind, the 37-year-old Gomez ran off seven straight birdies in the middle his round, let Snedeker back in the game with a pair of bogeys, and then holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole and a 20-foot birdie from just off the 18th green to finish at 20-under 260.

Not sure I agree with that "tougher" assessment, as I think it's far more difficult to play with the lead.  But 62's rarely hurt a player, especially on Sunday and, as the commentators told us ad nauseum, this ensures that Gomez will represent Argentina in the Olympics...I know, contain your excitement.

Sharknado -  Word broke on Twitter last night and was confirmed this morning that our long national nightmare is over.  From the official press release:

FOX Sports announces that they will be making a change to their commentary team, and Greg Norman will not return to the network’s USGA Championships coverage in 2016. The announcement was made today by John Entz, President of Production & Executive Producer, FOX Sports. 

Both parties have agreed to an amicable separation and will continue to work together to broadcast the Franklin Templeton Shootout, which remains an important part of FOX Sports’ golf platform. 

“After careful consideration, we have decided to make this change to our USGA Championships coverage,” said John Entz. “We want to thank Greg for his contributions last year, and wish him success in all his current and future endeavors.”

Careful consideration should be read as scathing reviews...  I should also note that the photo above did not run with the press release, it was Shack's editorial comment.   When reached for comment, Norman added "I'm sorry to leave Fox, but I wanted to spend more time with my family bronze busts.

OK, I made that last bit up....Here's Geoff's comments from last night, including a preview of The Shark's replacement:

That source could not confirm, however, that Paul Azinger will be announced asGreg

Norman's after just a year as Foxgolf's lead analyst. However, Azinger has gone very quiet of late on Twitter and has been widely rumored in recent days to be talking to Fox. 

Furthermore, Azinger worked with Fox golf producer Mark Loomis when the trio of Mike Tirico-Nick Faldo and Azinger was widely revered for their fresh, fun and smart approach. 

Azinger has most recently been lead analyst on ESPN's golf telecasts, but with the network down to just The Masters, his much-needed smart approach to players, championships, courses and the golf swing would be a great addition to Fox. Azinger will be an enormous upgrade over Norman, whose first year was marked largely by sounding unprepared, appearing unaware of players who were born outside Australia, and most of all, seeming very impressed with former World No. 1 Greg Norman.

Martin Kaufmann makes it clear that this was not a mutual break-up:

During the final round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout in December, Fox put a third announcer, Brad Faxon, in the 18th tower with Norman and anchor Joe Buck. The hope, according to sources, was that Faxon’s presence would force Norman to become more engaged in the broadcast. Fox, however, apparently didn’t see a way forward with Norman.

And this little vignette sums up the unsuccessful experiment:

That was most notable at last summer’s U.S. Open. After Dustin Johnson three-putted on the final hole, Norman was at a loss for words, despite having endured many painful defeats in his playing career.

You mean like the time he three-putted  at Inverness in the playoff to gift a PGA Championship to 'Zinger?  Just like he's now gifted his analyst chair to the same gent...

Gary Van Sickle piles on with this:

Norman was paired in the booth with veteran sportscaster Joe Buck, who hadn’t done

golf before. 

The source, who asked not to be identified, said Norman wasn't very good on the air because "he didn’t do his homework and he didn’t know any players who weren’t Australian." Norman just wasn’t engaged in any of the FOX telecasts the way the network had hoped, the source said. 

"It was tough for the whole staff because he wasn’t involved in the shows like a lead analyst should be," the source said. "Maybe he thought just being Greg Norman was enough. He's been successful in everything he's done in business but he wasn’t good at TV. He was a team player but when the cameras turned on, he just went silent."

Like your humble correspondent, I'm sure you'tr confused as to how he was team player while not doing his homework... did he give Holly Sonders unsolicited back rubs?  Van Sickle also had this anecdote"

The U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club was another awkward wrinkle for the FOX team. Brad Faxon, a former PGA Tour player stationed at the 17th hole, wound up providing an unusual share of the analysis and commentary because Norman wasn't chiming in.

Announcing is its own art form, and it's no embarrassment if it's not in your wheelhouse.  On the other hand, Norman, d/b/a The Living Brand,  is so famously self-obsessed that the bit above about assuming that being The Shark was sufficient rings so very true...  But kudos to FOX for taking aggressive steps to improve their product...  Now, can we talk about Joe Buck?

The Big Short - My ski buddy Lee is a shareholder in his beloved Green Bay Packers...I know, Saturday night was tough on the lad.  But now comes news of another way to invest in the sports world:

When Fantex Holdings first announced its intention to offer athlete "tracking stocks" the concept was met with a lot of skepticism in the business press. That was in 2013, and in April 2014, the brokerage brought its first athlete stock public: Vernon Davis, then a tight end for the San Francisco 49ers. The skepticism hasn't entirely faded, but in the 18 months since, the company has brought five more football player stocks to market. And in September it signed a contract with Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney, its first athlete outside of football.

Who knew?  Now of course football and baseball players are under contract, so I really can't see this happening in our game.

Now it's getting into golf. Fantex has signed a deal with 26-year-old golfer Scott Langley, Yahoo Finance is first to report. 

Langley is best known for finishing 16th at the 2010 U.S. Open, where he tied for the best amateur score. He is also the first alum of The First Tee, a youth golf program started by the World Golf Foundation in 1997, to actually make it to the PGA Tour.

If you're best known for finishing 16th in en event six years ago, then you're really unknown.  Except, of course, to geeks like your humble correspondent.  Here's how it works:

How does Fantex actually work? The company pays every athlete it signs a one-time, upfront lump sum in return for a percentage of the athlete's future brand income—all future income tied to the athlete's brand, whether it's from the sport or from business outside of it. (That includes, for example, money from endorsement deals, fast-food franchising, speaking engagements, TV appearances and more.) In Langley's case, Fantex is paying Langley $3.06 million in return for 15% of his future brand income. Fantex raises that fee from the IPO process; if it fails to sell enough shares of the athlete in the offering, it can't pay him. It has successly brought all six of its attempted offerings public, but it had to cancel the offering of Arian Foster, who was planned to be its first stock. Foster is a bigger star than any of the athletes Fantex has brought public, but he was sidelined by a back injury shortly after Fantex announced the deal.

This is pretty interesting stuff, though Langley doesn't seem like he has a sufficiently high ceiling to place such a bet.  But you can see where this can only work with young players, those willing to trade off a piece of their upside for the security of a large upfront payment.

He can't possibly fit their profile, but I'd love to see them take DJ public, as that's a puppy I'd like to short.

The Hard Sell - Cam Cole has quite the head-scratcher in The National Post about celebrity endorsements, Using Spieth's Coca Cola deal as his tent pole. Here's the first bit of cognitive dissonance:

Which brings us to this week’s faux-controversy in the world of professional sports and the roles athletes play for money: Jordan Spieth, pitchman for Coca-Cola.
The ink hadn’t even dried on an endorsement deal some say rivals those signed by LeBron James and Taylor Swift for promoting soda-pop brands — tens of millions of dollars — before the first cries of protest from health watchdogs.

How could Spieth, golf’s new Golden Child, the No. 1 player in the world with his All-American Boy reputation and a natural grace and politeness and appealing personality, sell his soul to an evil purveyor of sugary death? Shame on him. 

Well, no doubt they have a point.

OK, so it's both a faux-controversy yet two graphs later he concedes that those objecting have a point.
And compare this from the middle of the piece:

We’re smarter than that now. But guess what? They’re still selling, and we’re still buying but it’s not as though we are, or ever have been, powerless in the equation. 

Professional sports would be lost without beer advertising. Does it work? Maybe, on some.

With this rousing coda:

So perhaps Spieth, when he inevitably is overcome with guilt, will sign a contract endorsing broccoli, or brussels sprouts, or something gluten-free or made from soy, and the children of North America will no longer be slaves to the Coca-Cola conspiracy, lured there by a golfer’s magnetism. 

Until then, we are only pawns in game of life.

Shack in his post takes Cole's piece to argue about the efficacy of such endorsements, whereas I read it to question, admittedly to the limited extent of its coherence, the moral case for endorsing such a sugar-laden product.  Both are interesting questions, though of course I'd like to see them in the hands of a better thinker or writer.

He's got all the usual overwrought suspects thrown in, of course, including accusing luxury car manufacturers of causing global warming that's going to kill us all.  And taking Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle to task for endorsing cigarettes, providing no context for the era or the economics involved.  To the extent that you vies Jordan's Coca Cola contract negatively, one of the obvious arguments is that he can't possibly need the money. You can readily see what a mess this piece is...

But nothing in it is stranger than his lede, where he rests his premise on the role of Mongo in Blazing Saddles:

“Mongo only pawn in game of life.” 

Possibly Alex Karras’s most famous line from his post-football acting career was nothing more profound than a bit of dialogue from a comic role in Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, the role of a massive, supposedly villainous enforcer with a sensitive side that required a size-XXXL actor to deliver one coherent thought of sufficient surprise to be funny. 

No one asked Karras, may he rest in peace, if he thought it was doing the reputation of football players a disservice by portraying a big, monosyllabic oaf in the movies.

Seriously?  Don't break it to Cole that it was just a movie....  but who knew football players were a protected class?  But there's good news that Karras redeemed himself in the eyes of our arbiter of social mores:

Even Karras later made up for his Mongo offences by playing a gay bodyguard in the gender-bender Victor/Victoria, so he was redeemed. Blazing Saddles likely could never be made today, making fun of Jews, African-Americans (definitely not called that in the movie), Irish, Chinese, women, politicians, drunks — it would be shouted down as an affront to modern sensibilities.

Now, the fact that redemption lies in portraying a gay character is laugh-out loud-funny, but I've one last question for Mr. Cole.  The fact that Blazing Saddles couldn't be made in this ultra-PC environment: Good thing or bad?

Loose Ends

Just a few items for you before we head pout to make some turns.

Portrush '19 - I've been flailing about for quite a while now, in a vain attempt to embed this video, so you'll just have to click through to view it.  It's a first visual look at the changes proposed for the 2019 Open Championship, most notably two new holes to be created to replace the existing 17th and 18th.  

I did, however, capture a screenshot of the new Par 5 seventh hole, with the recreation of the Big Nellie bunker at the bottom:

Longtime readers know of my excitement about an Open at Portrush, which is simply one of the best and most dramatic links found anywhere.  The holes that are being abandoned are built furthest inland from the dunes, and while a stern test are simply less interesting than what comes before.

Take a minute to enjoy the spectacular property, paying particular attention to the most interesting holes, White Rocks, Skerries and Calamity Corner (the narrator, like many, makes the mistake of calling it only Calamity).

Cause, Effect - Remember way back in June when Trump was floating the story that his Aberdeen links was going to host three Scottish Opens?  I know, seems like it was back when they played the gutta percha....  Not so fast it seems:

Dundonald Links in Ayrshire is the strong front-runner to host the 2017 Scottish

Open, bunkered.co.uk has learned. 

The course, which successfully staged the Ladies’ Scottish Open last year, is expected to fill the much anticipated south west void on the so-called Scottish Open links rota.

With Castle Stuart, Royal Aberdeen and Gullane having welcomed the event to the Highlands, North East and Lothians since it visited Loch Lomond Golf Club for the last time in 2010, speculation has been mounting over a possible home in Ayrshire or the south west of Scotland for the tournament.

And what of The Donald?

This pours cold water on reports last year that the tournament would go to Trump International Golf Links Scotland near Aberdeen. It had been suggested that the Scottish Open would be staged there in 2017, 2019 and again in 2020. 

Indeed, at the official opening of the clubhouse at his Balmedie development in June last year, Trump himself said: “The Scottish Open is coming. The Scottish Open wants to be here forever, they think this is the best course they’ve ever seen.”

He's had a pretty steady diet of cold water recently. at least from the golf world.  Though he seems to be doing far better in other areas... But in honor of himself, I do think we should refer to this substitute venue as The Dundonald.  Just because...

Trending Disastrous - We're all aware that Robert Allenby's last trip to Hawaii ended, shall we say, poorly...  But it's a new day and we all wish the best for our hero, right?  Well, I've always thought God had a nasty sense of humor, and here's how Robert started his Oahu Redemption Tour:

For those new to Shot Tracker, those yellow lines perpendicular to the direction of play are never helpful, nor are triples.  

In his defense, he settled down and played even par for the remainder of his round.  One minor issue, though, is that even par sucks at this event, and he finds himself T128.  Since he'd need a course record to make the cut, I'll just offer a helpful reminder that Amuse Wine Bar is still taking Friday dinner reservations.

Further Clues... - As to the identity of the Secret Tour Pro, that is.  Turns out he was able to watch the Eurasian Cup and posted a rules question/infraction:

That's Shingo Katayama and I simply don't have the time to go back and research this.  Anyone know the answer?

But we've been remiss at following up with the former anchorers, and this guy was the poster child:

One of the most ardent members of the anchoring method, Clark has known for quite a while that his favored “broomstick” method of putting would be ruled non-conforming come Jan. 1, when it became against the rules to hold a putter against the torso. So Clark toyed with dozens of putters and a handful of grip styles, and he will try the Acculock Ace this week at the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club.

The AccuLock Ace ($279.99 atwww.biomechsports.com) has a long and wide face, and the shaft connects to the back of the sculpted mallet. The putter is built with considerable forward shaft lean, which the company says helps a player secure the grip against the players’ lead arm during the stroke — aka the “Matt Kuchar style.” Clark will use a belly-length model and employ just such an arm-lock stroke.

It seems to have worked yesterday, as Clark posted a 4-under 66.  Of course, one round means exactly nothing...

Click Bait -  Who among us could resist this header?

Is Boo Weekley's beard the most intense facial hair in PGA Tour history?

Well, what do you think?

I think we can all agree that it's a heck of a beard, but Boo seems the antithesis of intense...The author does offer a couple of alternatives, first Graham DeLaet:

And also this guy, though technically I'm pretty sure he never teed it up on the PGA Tour:

That'll have to do you for today, Dear Readers.