Weekend Wrap

A great weekend at this end, both in terms of golf and the social calendar.  Hope yours was good as well...

Live Down Under Par - We're gonna be milking that new Tour slogan for a while, so deal with it.  An entertaining final round from Quail Hollow, at least to this observer:

CHARLOTTE – Nothing was coming easy for Jason Day at the Wells Fargo Championship. 

Happy non-golf news as well for this beautiful family. 

Walking up the 16th fairway to begin Quail Hollow’s infamous Green Mile closing stretch, he’d made more bogeys in his last 15 holes (four) than he had the first 54 (three). To make matters worse, across the lake, a scoreboard confirmed what Day had feared since his bogey two holes earlier – 21-year-old Aaron Wise had caught him at 10-under par for a share of the lead. 

That’s when Day, staring down the course’s two most intimidating holes, made back-to-back birdies to earn his 12th career PGA Tour victory in a way befitting of a former World No. 1.

He was all over the yard for sure...  My question is when did he become the best putter on the planet?  Wow, very impressive... as was this:

The most stunning shot of the tournament came at its toughest (playing more than half a stroke above par Sunday): the par-3 17th. Following his birdie at 16 to pull one ahead of Wise, Day opted for 7-iron staring down at a green he said looks “real tiny” from 231 yards away with water short, left and long. The plan was to fly the ball into an upslope on the green, killing the momentum and letting it settle near the pin. 

In Day’s words, here’s what happened next: 

“When I hit it, it was on a cracking line, it was beautiful,” he said. “And then it just had this massive bounce, hit on the downslope and fortunately hit the pin, which was nice, and went to about two or three feet. Things like that are what you need to win golf tournaments.”

Well, yeah!  Notwithstanding that the ball had taken about a half dozen little bounces before reaching the pin, it was still at warp speed.  But did you catch those greens?  As firm as I can remember seeing, two moments of note:

1. Aaron Wise playing his second into one of the Par-5's saw his shot bounce like a superball.  Forget the technology providing ball speed, carry and apex on tee shots, I want to know the apex of that bounce;
2. There was one shot that landed near a CBS microphone and the bounce sounded like it was landing on the hood of a Pontiac.  Happens every week I hear you saying, but did I mention that this was the second bounce?

The USGA and R&A told us recently that driving distances are up three yards on average in the last year, though I'm guessing they were up ten yards after this week.  You might have notice that Day's shot that rattled the pin was a 231-yard was a seven iron.... and was quite obviously too much club.  In the final pairing, Nick Watney his his drive on No. 16 a mere 376 yards, and was away....  Nothing to see here....

The Tour Confidential panel took on the issue of whether Day could reclaim that No. 1 ranking:

Alan Shipnuck: His short game has been sensational during this run but the scary thing

is that Day has not been totally happy with his ball-striking. He hit a bunch of clutch shots coming down the stretch today, so lookout.

John Wood, caddie for Matt Kuchar: Absolutely. The key word is "healthy." Watching a bit of the telecast Saturday and watching his putting (which is wonderfully aggressive; he literally looks like he is trying to make every single putt, like that's the only thought in his head) and his ability to fly the ball 313 right down the middle while one-arming his follow through was startling. A healthy Day can be as good or better than anyone.

With two wins this year on tough tracks, who could argue that he can't?  Staying healthy is a concern for sure, as he's one of those guys that seems far too ripped...  I've also always been concerned that he's one of those players with only one gear, seemingly unable to swing at 85%....

I thought it was an attractive leaderboard as well, serving as Aaron Wise's coming out party, but also featuring Nick Watney's return from six years in the desert.... Cameos from Bryson Dechambeau and Patrick Reed (I guess pink is the new red?) made for a good day, and then there was this guy:

Mickelson's approach to the 18th green during the final round of the Wells Fargo

Championship on Sunday went dangerously close to falling into the creek to the left of the green, but Mickelson found a way to play it. He got up and down for par to shoot 69 and tie for fifth. 

But we found out later the ball was leaning against a rock, and that Mickelson used the rock to his advantage. 

"It was touching a rock, but somehow I was able to get way underneath the ball," he said. "It was kind of on such a severe lie, I was able to hit it vertically. So I hit it off the toe, and the toe of my wedge is all banged up — not the sole, but the far end of the toe. I semi-played it into the rock to kick it to the right over the pin. So I went up vertically and used the side of the rock to kind of get it to go to the right."

Ironically, he had maybe four pars all day.... This one was pure Phil.

Tiger Scat -  I know, but people seem to care....  The Tiger Tracker is on the case:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – I walked 18 holes with Tiger Woods on Sunday – you know, like I do – and I saw zero birdies. Let’s talk about it.

Mr. Tracker, it's not all about you.... The no-birdies seems related-to and far less significant than this:

• No surprise, the putting was poor again on Sunday. Everybody has their weeks where things just go sideways, but Tiger Woods – arguably the best clutch putter in the history

of golf – did not break 30 putts in a round this week. He went 31-33-31-31 and headed to the parking lot -5.810 in strokes gained: putting. He talked all week about how he struggled to adjust to slower-than-anticipated putting surfaces, but to be honest these greens weren’t that slow. And they’re basically flawless. And he ran a number of putts by the hole today. And plenty of others guys managed to figure it out. I don’t know. Just one of those weeks.

As ugly as it was statistically, I think it looked even worse than that....  The consensus seems to be that his putting was so poor that his ball-striking had to be much-improved, which seems confirmed by these stats:

He was inside the top 20 in stokes gained: putting at Torrey Pines, PGA National and Bay Hill. He was 39th while playing Innisbrook for the first time as a professional at the Valspar Championship, but he pulled off a runner-up finish due to his superior iron play.

Woods set season highs in strokes gained: off-the-tee (2.997) and strokes gained: approach-the-green (4.530) at the Wells Fargo, which illustrates just how uncomfortable he was around the greens while finishing T-55.

Subjectively I didn't see that improvement, but admittedly it wa shard to get past his horrible work on the greens.   Back to the TC gang:

2. In Tiger Woods's first start since the Masters, he battled a cold putter at the Wells Fargo Championship and finished T55. Next up is the Players Championship, a tournament he's won twice. Are you more or less bullish about Tiger's chances of winning the Players than you were regarding his chances at Augusta, where he was a favorite but finished T32?

Sens: I never liked his chances much at Augusta, so I guess I like them slightly more at the Players, but only slightly. Tiger's comeback has been amazing to watch. But this field is just too stout and the course too trouble-filled for a guy still on a quest to find his (warning: Tigerism approaching) A-game. 

Shipnuck: He has a much better chance at the Players, if only because ANGC demands so many drivers and Sawgrass so few. Notwithstanding his cold putter in Charlotte, the driver remains the weakest part of Tiger's game. But as fun as it has been to watch him grinding, as the sample size becomes larger it becomes more clear that Tiger has a looong way to go before he's ready to win anything, let alone against the deepest field of the year on a treacherous course.

I can't imagine that he'll hit too many drivers, so that should be a benefit to him...  But his misses are still of the XXXL variety, and this is a quirky, maddening track if you're not in full control.  

You might have heard about his pairing for Thursday and Friday:

3. Woods and Phil Mickelson are grouped for the first two rounds of the Players(Rickie Fowler is also joining the star-studded threesome), making it the first time the duo has been paired together since the 2014 PGA. Who will derive more motivation from this grouping: Tiger or Phil?

Sens: Tiger. Phil has spoken at length about how fired up he gets playing with Tiger. But is there any fiercer competitor on the planet than Woods? I know that this is the kinder, gentler Tiger, but I still think of him as being like one of those characters from a movie who wants to rip the other guy's heart out and show it to him while it's still beating. Maybe Phil feels the same and is just hiding it behind the aw-shucks smile. Whatever the case, this should be fun.

Shipnuck: Jim Furyk. Throw in the practice round at Augusta and perhaps all of this is laying the groundwork for a Tiger-Phil pairing at the Ryder Cup. Don't forget, it's supposed to be a goodwill exhibition; what could possibly generate more buzz than pairing Woods and Mickelson together on an international stage?

I'm not sure they've done either guy a favor, but they're looking for and will no doubt be rewarded with many eyeballs.  This guy goes to the videotape looking for an edge:

It will mark the first time Woods and Mickelson have been grouped together in a Tour

event since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. (We're not counting their much-ballyhooed practice round together at the Masters in April.) 

While they aren't playing against each other in a match-play format, there's still some noteworthy nuggets when comparing their head-to-head stroke-play battles over the years. 

The main takeaway? The scoring battle is closer than you might think. 

According to the PGA Tour's statistical database, in the 32 times Woods and Mickelson have played together, whether in a pairing or threesome, Mickelson holds the all-time edge over Woods 15-14-3. But Woods has the better scoring average; his 69.41 edges Mickelson's 69.66. In relation to par, Woods's average is 1.75 under compared to Mickelson's 1.50 under.

Ancient history is irrelevant, the pressing issue is the effect of the bromance.... As for Shipnuck's suggestion of a Tiger-Phil pairing in Paris, by all means pair them in foursomes.... Make them play each others' foul balls and we can blissfully return to the pre-task force status quo ante when the hated each other.... You'll no doubt agree that was much more fun.

Golf Sixes, An Appreciation - Shack watched the Euro Tour's second installment of the wacky format so we didn't have to, and files a gem of a review.  Amusingly, he ledes with a barb aimed at Ponte Vedra Beach that scores:

On the golf desperation scale from 1 to Live Under Par, the second UK playing of GolfSixes registered a solid 8.

C'mon, Geoff, tell us what you really thought of it.  Not to worry, he will:

Year two of this innovation all added up to a well-intentioned but at-times embarrassing effort to reach new audiences.

As with most of these attempts to show the advertisers that golf has shed the dreaded rich old demographic for the one that either can’t or won’t pay for anything, GolfSixes 

Didn't realize that Patrick Reed was in the event.

empties the bucket of "fun" ideas. The ”greensomes” team format seeks to replicate Twenty20 from cricket and make golf cool, fun and watchable. In other words, it’s another well-intentioned effort to speed up a game that has become a slog, with telecasts that can’t do much about the pace and often all-day sensibility of our sport. 

But the combination of unheard-ofs, the excess of forcing elements for the sake of doing something different and the gratuitous attempt to have kids hit shots to let the precious little ones know they are part of the proceedings, added up to some of the worst professional golf “product” imaginable.

Simply unveiling the event's fresh format would have been enough innovation. But it’s all the other nonsense added on that announces to the world: golf is not comfortable enough in its skin. Oh, and the sport has not done much about the swollen scale of the sport so this is how we remedy that issue.

Yeah, well I've been reliably informed that our game can't possible appeal to Millennials, so we might as well alienate our core fans in attempting to appeal to those with the attention span of a mollusk.  

He does find one positive:

Alistair Tait of Golfweek did find one positive in all of this: the quarterfinal appearances by the teams of Charley Hull and Georgia Hall and Mel Reid and Carlota Ciganda may inch closer to a legitimate format that combines men’s and women’s combined team play in a professional event.

Hey, we're all about living under par, no matter how embarrassing it gets.

Cash Is King - WaPo is going to keep throwing mud at the walls until something sticks.  They file an interesting analysis of Trump's recent acquisitions, though to me the undertone translates to, this has to be an impeachable offense, right?

Why did the “King of Debt,” as he has called himself in interviews, turn away from that

strategy, defying the real estate wisdom that it’s unwise to risk so much of one’s own money in a few projects?

And how did Trump — who had money tied up in golf courses and buildings — raise enough liquid assets to go on this cash buying spree? 

From the outside, it is difficult to assess how much cash the Trump Organization has on hand. 

Eric Trump, a son of the president who helps manage the company, told The Washington Post that none of the cash used to purchase the 14 properties came from outside investors or from selling off major Trump Organization assets.

I feel quite certain that it must be the Russians.... It must be true, because they have a graph:

Eric Trump actually provides them the answer, but they don't really pick up on it:

Instead, Eric Trump said, the firm’s existing businesses — commercial buildings in New York, licensing deals for Trump-branded hotels and clothes — produced so much cash that the Trumps could tap that flow for spending money.

“He had incredible cash flow and built incredible wealth,” Eric Trump said. “He didn’t need to think about borrowing for every transaction. We invested in ourselves.”

So many of his recent visible projects have been licensing deals, which is really just another way of using other people's money.

To me the bigger issue is the long-terms prospects for his Scottish and Irish projects.  I don't see a path to profitability in Aberdeen, since they've backed off on building the resort.  The local economy can't support a high-end daily fee golf course, and it's a bit off the beaten track for the visiting golfers.  Turnberry, on the other hand, is a big investment in the refurbishment of the resort, not to mention the restoration of both golf courses, but can he draw enough traffic to make it work?

Rejected -  I am not now nor have I ever been an environmentalist, but this seems an awfully bad idea:

JERSEY CITY — Luxury golf course Liberty National's bid to expand onto the Caven Point area of Liberty State Park has been rejected by state environmental officials. 

The golf course's owner, Paul Fireman, wanted to lease the roughly 20-acre section of the park and move three of its holes there, but New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection official George Chidley said in a letter sent Thursday to Liberty National that the DEP will not pursue the project "at this time." The agency oversees the 1,200-acre state park. 

The state's decision is a major victory for park advocates who slammed the expansion plan as a privatization scheme. The Caven Point area is a peninsula at the southernmost end of Liberty State Park that includes a sandy beach and a bird sanctuary. 

"It's wonderful news that the DEP has preserved this priceless natural area behind Lady Liberty for wildlife, environmental education and nature explorers of all ages," said Sam Pesin, president of Friends of Liberty State Park, which opposed the golf course expansion plan.

Don't they know that it's for the children?

It's not clear whether Liberty National will make a second attempt to lease the land. A request for comment from the golf course's spokesman was not returned. Fireman has said he wanted to move the three holes to make way for a Hudson County chapter of First Tee, a golf and mentoring program for young people.

Just to ruin your day, we're schedule to return there in both 2019 and 2022 for the Barclay's Northern Trust. 

Tomorrow is the Met. Golf Writer's annual trip to Bethpage Black.  This year it's in conjunction with the PGA of America's boondoggle to celebrate being one year out from the first May PGA Championship.  I'm not sure whether there will be time available to blog but, if not, I'll make it up to you on Wednesday.

Late Week Lamentations

Employee No. 2 and I have a game later this morning, so we'll cover all that time allows...

Quail Scat - The Wells Fargo is a perfectly fine event, as Tour stops go...  But this was Mike Bamberger's preview story, and I can only conclude that he picked a bad week to stop sniffing glue:

Tiger, Phil, Rors and more! This is no ordinary week — get ready for the Masters, Part II

Masters, Part II?  Mike is too much of a grizzled veteran for that level of unsubstantiated hype, do they write their own headers?

John Peterson is a guy you'd be more likely to see on a milk carton than atop a PGA Tour leaderboard, and yet you'll be glad you made his acquaintance.  See, he finds himself with a dilemma, and you might like his priorities:

This is the story of a PGA Tour player who really needs a win … while actually not needing one at all. 

To understand the situation is to understand John Peterson, your leader by two strokes at -6 following Thursday’s opening round at the Wells Fargo Championship. And to understand John Peterson is to allow for the idea that maybe – just maybe – playing on Tour isn’t the end all, be all that every golfer who ever held a dream in his head and a driver in his hands believes it to be. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate it out here (on the Tour),” he said Thursday. “They treat you great every week. You have nothing to worry about. I like it a lot out here. I just kind of want to be a dad and be around my kid and my family more often.”

You know how my mind works. by now.  I think "I don't Hate it Out Here"™ a far better slogan that "Live Under Par"™.

And next time your perfect tee shot rolls into a sand-filled divot, remember the bounce this guy got:

Quail Hollow named an eagle after Rory McIlroy for the four-time major winner's dominance at the North Carolina course. This Thursday drive by Brooks Koepka also warrants commemoration, albeit in ignominious fashion. 

During the first round of the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, Koepka tugged his drive on the 18th hole, his ball headed towards the creek that hugs the fairway. Luckily for the reigning U.S. Open champ, the shot came down on land. Unfortunately, it also hopped into a spectator's lawn chair and ricocheted into the creek.

Rub of the effing green.

Men in Pink, Part I -  Fellow Met. Golf Writers Association member Mark Canizzaro landed an interview with Patrick Reed, and its a curious thing for sure....

“Every time I’m playing in a pro-am, guys tell me, ‘We didn’t really know what to

expect playing with you because of all the stuff we’ve read,’ ’’ Reed told The Post in a wide-ranging interview examining the negative perception that seems to remain attached to him like body odor. “Then they’re like, ‘Man, you’re such a nice guy. You’re always helping, you’re always interacting with all of us.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, because that’s who I am.’

“People make conclusions about somebody before they actually get to know someone. I feel like that’s what’s happened. They have the good guys on the Tour — I’m not going to name names, I’ll let you figure that one out — so they need to find the other side, they need to find the black hat, and it seems like that’s how I’m painted. 

“There are the guys that wear the white hats and they’re painting the picture of someone to wear the black hat and they chose me — even though they don’t really know me.’’ 

Does he care? 

“Not really,’’ Reed said.

And yet he feels compelled to tell us how much his pro-am partners like him....  Color me unconvinced.... Especially when he violates the first rule of holes:

“It would be nice for people to actually get to know me, because when you do something like we did at Augusta and for people to come out and try to take away from what we did, it’s wrong,’’ Reed said. 

“I can count numerous amounts of players that have issues at home,’’ he went on, referring to the scrutiny about his estrangement from his family. “I did something that I felt like was going to make my life better and it has. Everything I’ve done I felt like has been the best for myself, and I’ve grown with my new family. 

“Honestly, people can write anything they want about me and I could care less, but once you start writing stuff about my family, my wife and my daughter and son or my mother-in-law, then you’re drawing a line.’’

No doubt there was some of that in the coverage, especially about his Green Jacket Tour that was no different than Jordan's or Sergio's.  And while it's natural for a public personality to be protective of his family, it apparently was fine in his eye for his wife to describe his parents on Facebook as "Sick and in need of help".

It reminds me so much of Vijay, who also dealt with cheating allegations from long ago and far away.  I find that usually folks are willing to forgive and forget the mistakes of others, when acknowledged with some candor.  But it's not to be with this guy...

This, on the other hand, could be a cause for concern:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Reed took the week off before the Masters, and it paid off beyond the work he did on his game. 

He also had time to get his eyes checked. 

“First week ever wearing contacts, and I go ahead and make every putt I look at and win a golf tournament,” Reed said.

He didn't make everything, but he made more than msot.

Men in Pink, Part II - If you didn't see the broadcast, here's the reference in the headers:

Paired together, Patrick and Tiger showed up in seemingly the same ugly, pink-striped Nike collarless shirt.... Not the same size, I'm guessing....

The guy in pink without the mansiere shot an even par 71.

The Walkback - Perfectly on schedule, Rory would like to clarify:

"I didn't mean it like that at all. I sort of was trying to say if you look at where the U.S. Open and the Open were compared to the Masters 50 years ago, they were bigger golf tournaments," he said. "Now I think after everything that's happened over the past 50 years and the improvements that Augusta makes year on year, I feel like the amount of time between the last major of the season, the first major of the season, the hype, the eyeballs, the everything — it's just a notch above the other ones. I don't know if that's because we return to the same venue every year and there's a nostalgic feeling for everyone because of that, but that's what I was trying to say."

I'm not sure that will make folks any happier.... Care to try again?

"I'm a proud winner of (the U.S. Open and British Open)," he said Thursday. "I wasn't trying to be disrespectful at all. I was just trying to say that from where those tournaments were in stature in this game to where now the Masters is, I feel like the Masters has replaced those two tournaments."

He just keeps digging deeper.....

Houston, We Have A..... -  On Wednesday, Shack had this:

Golfweek's Forecaddie with news that the expected release of the 2018-19 PGA Tour schedule--the first with a May PGA Championship and potentially shorter playoffs--has been delayed. 

The reason, besides the obvious difficulties involved with a nearly year-round global calendar to line up, appears to be driven by efforts to find the Houston Open a spot. 

They've been around since 1946, it's the nation's fourth largest city and a tournament run by the local golf association doing incredible things to sustain and grow golf in the region. They've earned the right!

To me, the 4th largest city is the best of the arguments, to which I'd add the bit about DFW/Forth Worth having two events.....  Now comes news of a strong ally in the process:

Astros owner Jim Crane admits he's now front and center in efforts to secure a sound financial future for the Houston Open golf tournament, which was played this spring

without a title sponsor – Shell pulled out in 2017 following a 26-year run – and faces the prospect of being dropped from the PGA Tour calendar if it can't find major backing soon. 

Multiple sources, all requesting anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly, have told the Chronicle that the Tour has given Houston until early-mid June to pull together a viable sponsorship package that figures to cost at least $12 million annually, much of that going toward ad buys during the NBC telecasts. Crane wouldn't confirm the deadline, saying only that it's in all parties' best interests "that something gets resolved soon ... July at the latest."

The Tour has been holding off announcing its revamped 2019 schedule in large part because of sponsorship uncertainties with tournaments in Washington, D.C., Houston and Fort Worth (The latter locked up Charles Schwab & Co., through 2022 last week). The next Houston Open would be held in either mid-May, possibly as a lead-in to the PGA Championship that's moving to late spring from its traditional August dates, or June 6-9 prior to the U.S. Open.

Fair enough, especially since Crane's relationship with our game includes playing the Dunhill Links in a ski hat....  Good stuff, at least to this observer.

What's unclear at the moment is whether the date the week before the Masters is still theirs for the asking, or whether it's been promised to San Antonio.  Also unclear is whether the Tour has committed to the new event in Detroit with Quicken Loans as title sponsor...  As the kids say, stay tuned.

Have a great weekend, and I'll catch y'all on Monday.

Thursday Threads

For those whose eyes glaze over when the talk turns architectural, today's post might not be for you....

There's No Such Thing as Too Rich or Too Narrow - But too wide...yes, that's most certainly a thing.  Especially after last year's experience at Erin Hills....

History lesson:  Who remembers the Massacre at Winged Foot?  The year was 1974 and the players arrived to find a golf course designed to leave them curled up in the corner in the fetal position....  The prior year, Johnny Miller had torched venerable Oakmont for a Sunday 63, leaving us to ponder whether the Winged Foot set-up was just coincidental...  Shockingly, Unplayable Lies does not believe in coincidences....

So, what might the USGA do at equally venerable Shinnecock Hills?

At Shinnecock Hills, the staff was presented with the equivalent of the bar exam, having been asked by the U.S. Golf Association last year to remove wide swaths of fairway

grass on 14 holes and roll in thousands of yards of fescue rough. In the USGA’s estimation, the venerable club in Southampton passed with flying colors. 

“They did it almost overnight,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA. “As someone at the club said, it was like a military exercise. When all is said and done, it looks tremendous. It fits your eye because these are the appropriate grasses.”

Fair enough, but today's architects are all about width off the tee, no?

“Some of the fairways had gone to 60 yards wide. It was great fun to play,” Davis said, adding that the average width had been 26 yards in 2004. “What we’ve done is come back and say, ‘You know what? You’re going to have to tighten it up some because accuracy is part of the test.’ ”

Mike, thank God you got there in time.  We can't have folks having fun on their club's golf course, can we?  Once that crap starts, there's no putting the genie back in the bottle.

Interestingly, the writer elides a material fact, to wit, that the club had widened those fairways as part of a Coore-Crenshaw master plan to return to the original design concepts of William Flynn.

And get this little bit of misdirection:

Making golfers try to avoid the rough is part of the new, and old, tactical philosophy at Shinnecock. Davis said that the membership has made a major effort in recent years to restore the feel of the course that architect William Flynn built in the late 1920s, after Suffolk County extended Sunrise Highway through the layout that had hosted the 1896 U.S. Open. 

Jennings said, “William Flynn’s architectural design is based on angles: hitting angles off the tee into the fairway and then off the fairway into the green. The work by Mike and the USGA, where we brought the fairways in, really accentuated the angles and makes them more robust. It brings features back into play that might have been lost in the modern game, based on how long people are hitting the golf ball these days.

Yes, Mike, and that "feel" never included narrow ribbons of fairways.... Jennings, by the way, is club superintendent Jon Jennings, who believes that narrow fairways accentuate playing angles....  Only in the sense that they make every golfer play the same angle.  That Kool-Aid tastes so awfully good going down...  Next thing we know, someone will make the case that in order to hit these narrow fairways the guys will be going back to smaller clubheads and higher-spin balls.  

I'll try to limit the preachiness, but this is where we see the effects of modern technology, as Mike Davis has essentially told us that Shinnecock Hills is obsolete.  What's being done to Shinny is merely bifurcation y another name.....

One feels for the club's members, because this project, its military precision aside, has rendered the golf course unplayable for mere mortals.  They belong to Shinny so there are limits to the amount of compassion, but one assumes that this wasn't discussed as part of the agreement with the USGA.

The risk, of course, is the wind..... Davis was no doubt concerned that if it remains calm, the guys would chew the place up.  The R & A, in contrast, seems far less concerned, understanding that in the absence of their seaside course's primary defense, that these guys are good live under par.

Geoff had this in his post on the subject:

As absurd as all of this is to theoretically protect "accuracy", the real issue remains huge distance gains passing by the governing bodies. If the professional game were in balance, the width could be tolerated thanks to the green complexes serving as the defense. Angles would matter. A form of accuracy would be rewarded. Just not this year at Shinnecock. Again.

He's taken to using the concept of "balance", which I'm not sure quite communicates his concerns.  But when a track like Shinny needs to be essentially blown up for the elite men professionals, that should have red flashing lights and sirens blaring for anyone concerned about the game.

Take the Fifth - The subject, of course, being the fifth at Augusta National Golf Club.  Yanno, the place that hosts that little invitational every April....  We've known for some time that their fifth will undergo the knife soon, here's the question golf nerds are asking themselves:

Can Augusta National Get The MacKenzie And Jones Back In Their 5th Hole?

Believe it or not, the inspiration for the fifth was.... wait for it, the Road Hole. here is George Cobb's 1960 rendering of the hole. 

As compared to the hole today:

The original design concept was that those challenging the left side of the hole off the tee would be rewarded with a better angle into the green, assuming the carried the bunkers and didn't stray too far left.  Note also the mounding that Cobb shows, that affects the sight lines of thos etaking the safer line to the right.  Classic risk-reward options for the player...

The current configuration of the hole takes the interest out of the tee shot, as everyone lays up short of the bunkers... Don't get the linkage to Road, perhaps the Good Doctor can explain better than your humble blogger:

Yeah, you remember MacKenzie, the guy that Brandel Chamblee blames for ruining our game....

So, the club has acquired the land at the bottom of the aerial photo above, and can reroute Old Berkman's Road to push back the tee.  Most folks are fine with that, in concept, since No. 5 was always meant to be one of the tougher pars out there.  The issue is that it will be difficult to recreate the right-to-left angle of the hole, as that would entail playing directly over the fourth green.

H/T to The Forecaddie and Shack, whose posts I've plagiarized paraphrased above.  Keep up the good work, lads.

Rory, Obsessed - This will be of little surprise, though his wording seems injudicious.  Curmudgeonly James Corrigan scores a sitdown with the Ulsterman, in which he admits to a post-Masters funk:

It might be an interesting conversation the next time Rory McIlroy bumps into the R&A hierarchy. The Ulsterman has declared the Masters as “the biggest tournament in the world and I'm comfortable saying that”, relegating The Open to the lower rungs of the podium. 

"The Masters has now become the biggest golf tournament in the world and I'm comfortable saying that," he said. "I don't care about the US Open or The Open, it is the biggest golf tournament in the world, the most amount of eyeballs, the most amount of hype, everything is at Augusta. For me it's the most special tournament that we play and it's the one everyone desperately wants to win."

You see the issue....  It's fine for him to be obsessed with the Masters, his need to top off the career slam and atone for 2011's meltdown.

It's the attribution to others that will have the R & A and others a tad hot under the collar, and I suspect he'll get some quiet pushback.  Or perhaps not so quiet....

Alan, Asked - This is merely a good week of the mailbag feature, but there's always fun to be found.  This is easily my fave:

Golf announcer cliches...What do they mean by "He's a good ball striker"? Is it just that he's an average player with no particular strengths, and they are fumbling for something good to say? #AskAlan -@daver40

It means he's a crappy putter.

Exactly.

I think he misses the point here:

Question with underlying preachy opinion: Doesn't the alternate shot format during @Zurich_Classic help prepare us for the Ryder Cup since this has been a traditional weakness? -Mac (@beerpilot) 

By "us" do you mean American players? When it comes to the Ryder Cup, there is no we or us for me — I'm an impartial observer traveling on no passport. But for sure getting to play alternate shot (and better-ball) with tournament pressure can only help U.S. Ryder Cuppers. It's easy to imagine Billy Horschel being on the bubble for a captain's pick and this victory is exactly the kind of thing that could tip the scales. Personally, I'd *love* to see Scott Piercy on the U.S. team. Dude is a birdie machine who loves action, and his palpable cockiness would drive the Euros batty.

Misconceptions abound.  First, folks seem to think that the Euros play a lot of alternate shot growing up, which really isn't the case.  Secondly, the Yanks haven't been terrible at foursomes, or at not until very recently...

Equally important, thew Zurich field had almost as many potential Euro Ryder Cup players as American.  So yes, one assumes that more experience with the format helps but, whatever its affects, the Euros are in on it with our guys.

Why don't pro events drive the golfers to their drives on some/all holes to speed play for TV? -@JuddOrrell

For one thing, it would destroy the rhythm of their round. The players have spent a lifetime learning to calibrate their thinking and breathing to the minutes in between shots. To suddenly speed them to the ball would be a radical change. More importantly, it would kill the spectating experience. Following one group for 18 holes is a pleasure that would be rendered impossible if the players get zipped around in carts.

I'm old enough to remember when tees were placed close to greens to avoid such a necessity....

#AskAlan Who does Tiger play with in Paris, and how many times does he play? -@JeremyBenson 

He plays with whomever he wants! But given the wear and tear on his brittle body, Tiger might play only three matches. Four would be the absolute maximum. If he's still defensive and inconsistent with the driver that would mean he'd likely play both fourball sessions. If Tiger starts swinging the big stick better he'd be a weapon in foursomes, given his shotmaking abilities and the fine scrambling we've seen so far this year. Kuchar is his most likely partner in either format, but Kooch isn't a lock to make the team. As vice captain at previous Cups, Tiger bonded with both Reed and Spieth, and no doubt he'd love to be paired with either of them, if Capt. Furyk is willing to break up one of his strongest teams. Both Rickie and JT are a little soft for Tiger, temperament-wise, but he plays plenty of golf with them already in South Florida, so they're strong candidates, too. How the mild-mannered Furyk handles a living legend like Tiger is going to be a fascinating subplot at this Ryder Cup.

Yanno who else isn't a mortal lock to be playing in Paris?  yeah, that Tiger guy.... It is interesting speculation though, so I'm going to suggest that in light of the blooming bromance, the obvious answer is to pair him with Phil.  Hal Sutton wasn't wrong, he was just early.....

And this should be asked of all of us:

How are you "Living Under Par" today? -Kevin (@KCrouch05) 

Well, this afternoon I enjoyed a 2-putt birdie on the par-5 14th hole at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley — does that count?

And I lived under par on our 14th hole yesterday, which wasn't sufficient to avoid handing Bobby D. that fiver back on the 18th green.  But the suits in Ponte Vedra Beach should be warned, when you've lost KCrouch05, you've lost the country. 

Midweek Musings

I'm not sure that I'll have time for this, as we have unexpected house guests.  

Quail Hollow Goes Full Medinah - I'm reliably informed that Medina No. 3 is a great golf course....  Yet I can't help but notice that every time it hosts an event it's unrecognizable....  If it's so great, why does it need changing?

Employee No. 2 and I were in England/Wales for last year's PGA, but it was clear that the course wasn't drawing raves....  I know, but I like to soften the blow of my insightful criticisms.  Imagine my surprise when I heard that Quail Hollow, the Tour course ready for its close-up, required yet more changes:

“The course has maybe gotten a little more criticism than maybe [Harris] is comfortable with,” said Johnson Wagner, who is a member at Quail Hollow. “He said to me that he feels like the course was set up pretty difficult for a major and guys weren’t used to that out here.” 

The most glaring changes prior to the ’17 PGA were to the first, fourth and fifth holes, and they all lived up to that billing ranking as the second-, 13th- and ninth-toughest holes last August. 

While most agree the changes to Quail Hollow made the course harder for the PGA Championship, opinions vary on whether the nip/tucks made the course better.

“No, I don’t think so,” said Scott Brown, who tied for 13th at last year’s PGA. “The golf course the way it was was pretty awesome. Just from hearing guys talk, the vast majority haven’t really agreed with a lot of the changes they made.”

It's a cruel world out there...  You make the guys play in North Carolina in August, and they're inevitably going to be a little cranky.  Shack had these cryptic notes on what to expect:

Preparing to host the Wells Fargo Championship, last year's PGA Championship host underwent yet more design modifications on top of modifications made to the previous modifications.

The good news: Quail Hollow's green speeds and rough are more subdued this week thanks to a ryegrass overseed and elimination of some teeing grounds from consideration.

Fair enough.  Now that they've gotten over their pretensions, they're not above having a little fun at their own expense:

“I had a number of my friends who were playing in the tournament tell me that tee was better suited as a lemonade stand,” Harris joked in the video of the new tee box on the fourth hole. “I doubt we’ll ever see that tee used again in competition.” 

True to his word, on Tuesday as players made their way around the course to prepare for this week’s event, there was an actual lemonade stand perched on the back of the fourth tee box.

All those hosting Tour events should be required to read a case study of Frank Jemsek, the owner of Chicago's Gog Hill.  He wanted so desperately to host a U.S. Open that he brought in Rees Jones, and let him ruin the joint.  Now he's got nothing and a course that the pros hate....

Hubris On Parade - Seems to be the theme of the day, no?  You'll enjoy this deep dive into the PGA of America's relocation strategy.  You know, it's all about the brand!  

The response to the PGA’s request for proposal was “an eye opener,” said one longtime PGA official. More than 100 municipalities responded when the RFP was disseminated in mid-2017. “It’s obvious,” said another, “that our brand is very valuable, based on the interest the RFP generated. And whatever decision is made is going to bring more value to the brand.”

And that value to the local PGA professional?  I'm sure they've thought this through fully and the connection will be made clear:

It’s hard not to see the PGA of America as appearing to be a more dynamic organization when, if it were to move its headquarters to Frisco, it would share a zip code with one of

the NFL’s top franchises, the Dallas Cowboys, along with the NHL’s Dallas Stars and the FC Dallas soccer team of the MLS. Liberty Mutual, FedEx Office and Toyota are non-sports companies who recently have moved to North Texas, in nearby Plano. Two other companies with golf connections—AT&T and Topgolf—are also deeply connected in the metro area. Having such impressive neighbors could afford the PGA of America more commercial and economic opportunities, which could be poured into member benefits and grow-the-game initiatives.

It all makes sense to me... The brand will obviously wither and die if doesn't share its zip code with an MLS franchise....or saloon keepers like Topgolf.

One suspects that at its core, this is the underlying insecurity:

Among them is that the PGA can further separate itself from the PGA Tour, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., both geographically, and in terms of its identity. It is 50 years ago this year that tour players broke away from the PGA of America to form their own organization. But the lay sports fan often still confuses the two entities.

No, we're that other PGA.  Yanno, the guys that fol sweaters and pick range balls...  We used to be big.  It'll be fun to watch their edifice complex give rise to a pleasure palace in Frisco, no doubt with PGA Championships and Ryder Cups to follow.

Short Is Cool Again - I want to belong to a club with a short course before my golf days are behind me... I know, I'm on the clock.  Shack has pics of two new short courses opening, and they couldn't be more different from each other:

First, from the middle of nowhere:

The Sandbox is the short course at Sand Hill, by Coore-Crenshaw.  Want more pictures?  Of course you do:

I adore the tee markers, though I of course am hating on Shane Bacon....One more:

Nothing to see here....

The second is altogether a different animal, though at 3,200 yards it may not be considered a short course:

Let me acknowledge that this is one of the omissions on my Golf CV, the Sandwich are of Kent that includes Royal St. Georges, Prince's and Royal Cinques Port, d/b/a Deal.  Although the bride has an Aunt that lives there.....

Lots going on at the club, as per this item....and how's this for history?

Sorry, But I Must - Unsurprisingly, I'm not especially a fan of the show:

While Scott Simpson and Webb Simpson have combined to win two majors, Homer Simpson is still working on his first. Meantime, though, he's reached another milestone: The animated sitcom that he stars in has just become the longest running scripted show in television history. 

In its 30-year run, The Simpsons has left few topics untouched. Our favorite game has not escaped its satire. In honor of Homer and Co.'s prolonged success, we give you the 7 greatest golf moments in Simpsons history.

Who is this Scott Simpson the speak of?  Surprisingly, both of those Simpson guys won at the very same venue, Olympic.   This one sounds somewhat amusing:

​5. The Lamest Game Ever Played

What Bart really wants is a violent video game called Bonestorm. What Marge gives him instead is Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge, a paint-dry boring sendup of the golf video genre. “Welcome to Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. I am Lee Carvallo.” Desperate for excitement, Bart tries to play a power game, ignoring Lee Carvallo's dead-voiced advice. “You have chosen a three-wood (beep). May I suggest a putter? (beep). Three-wood. Now enter the force of your swing. I suggest feather touch (beep, beep, beep). You have chosen power drive.” Bart uncorks a shot. “Ball is in . . .parking lot. Would you like to play again? (beep) You have selected, no.”

I'll let you get on with your day, and do so myself.

Tuesday Tastings

Where to begin?  How about with two stalwarts of this blog, Lydia and Shackelford?  

Lydia, The Aftershocks - They're still talking about our little Kiwi, first in this Beth Ann Nichols follow-up:

DALY CITY, Calif. – Lydia Ko has a tattoo on her right wrist with the dates from her first LPGA victory as a professional – April 27, 2014 – in Roman Numerals. That 

Celebrating with new swing coach Ted Oh.

memorable victory came at Lake Merced Golf Club, where she has now amassed three LPGA titles. After Ko heroically stuffed a 3-wood from 231 yards to 2 ½ feet for eagle, defeating Australia’s Minjee Lee on the first playoff hole at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship to end a 22-month victory drought, it begs the question: Is there room on the leftwrist? 

“I don’t think I cried at the other 14 (LPGA victories) and I cried like four times in the span of two minutes, which is kind of embarrassing,” said Ko. “Every time I’d see my sister I cried; every time I saw my mom I cried; and then Ted (Oh), my coach, was crying so I cried again … God get ahold of yourself. I think it was emotional because they’ve been through it with me.”

Our girl just turned 21, so from here on in it'll be sex, drugs and rock 'n roll.... Or not.  A nice piece, perhaps worthy of a second excerpt:

And after that, well, Jessica Korda gave her a bottle of vodka for her birthday. Ko thought she might open that now that’s she’s 21. On Tuesday, Ko forgot to bring her ID to her birthday party and couldn’t get served, despite Sura’s suggestion that the bartender Google everyone at the table. 

As for a new tattoo, Ko said this victory definitely deserves something, though it might be of the Sharpie variety. 

“I could be (part of) the New Zealand Mafia if I had more tattoos,” she said, laughing.

I think she just violated the first rule of Fight Club.... 

Of perhaps greater import, Geoff provides a lengthy analysis of the rather simple finishing hole at Lake Merced:

--The 18th hole for this particular event will never be confused with Augusta National's 13th, yet there was enough strategic interest to create intrigue: drive down the right side and get a better view of the green, drive left and perhaps shorten the approach, but also lose the better angle. 

--In the playoff, Minjee Lee outdrove Ko by 30 yards, but as Golf Channel's Karen Stupples noted almost immediately, Ko would have the better angle due to an overhanging cypress tree and the shape of the alleyway approach. Check out this screen grab of Ko's angle, with Lee's ball down the left, just above Ko's waistline:

--Since LPGA driving distances are of sane proportions for a majority of the golf courses on earth, even very simple architectural elements provided options, risks and nuanced reward in positioning. The execution by Ko was ultimately masterful, but she was given a canvas thanks to the firm ground conditions, immaculate turf and LMCC design to execute something special. 

--Watching the way Ko's ball hit the ground and release toward the hole only added to the drama and beauty of the shot. If this were a 6-iron, as we see all too often hit into a par-5 by today's male players, the shot loses appeal. It's not something we talk about nor is it a shot that leaves us in awe of the players. Or, in modern parlance, we don't feel like we're living under par. 

--The game is far more interesting to watch and play when angles have meaning and the ground can be used. Even a novice golf watcher can get a thrill from a shot like Ko's and appreciate that they saw something few humans could accomplish.

--When the game is compelling because of the aforementioned elements, more people will tune in on those merits over, say, watching forty-year-olds playing air guitar to music that hasn't been relevant in decades, if ever.

You just have to love how in the explanation of a rather simple design feature Geoff deploys his shiv not once, but twice.... But it can't be said enough, watching a ball release off the turf is like golf porn.

And while we're on the ladies, The Forecaddie has news to share:

The guys can’t have all the fun. The Forecaddie hears the LPGA plans to follow the PGA 

Tour’s lead with a new team competition, à la the Zurich Classic. The Man Out Front already can hear the walk-up music. Perhaps another Justin Bieber tune for the likely pairing of Michelle Wie and Danielle Kang. (Players choose walk-up music at the both the International Crown and Solheim Cup.) 

A new blue-chip sponsor will host the full-field event, which likely will have a similar format to the Zurich, featuring both best-ball and alternate-shot. 

Sister acts should be among the favorites next summer in Michigan. The Jutanugarns – Ariya and Moriya – are ranked Nos. 6 and 11, respectively, and have previously partnered at the International Crown. 

“I think it’s automatic,” Nelly Korda said. Not that she’d want anyone other than big sister Jessica, one of the hottest players on tour. Nelly said friend Ryan Ruffels, who paired with Jason Day at the Zurich, raved about his experience in New Orleans.

Why wouldn't they?

Before leaving the gals, I'd also like to note the unusual support of KPMG for the knocked-up Stacy Lewis...  If they ever find the guy that did that to her....  What?  I guess it's OK then....

A Golfer's Life - John Huggan has a long sitdown with New Zealand's favorite son, their best golfer post-Bob Charles but pre-Lydia.  There's much to interest you, though you'll not be shocked by where I choose to focus:

We have equipment that is really designed for the recreational player, but which produces unhealthy distance for the elite players. I remember playing in pro-ams and occasionally

being out-driven by an amateur. Now that never happens. Now the pros hit their 5-irons past the amateur’s drives. 

The professional game has never been more divorced from the amateur game. I think that is extremely dangerous. I’m not one for bifurcation though. One of the beauties of the game should be that everyone can play. But if we went to different equipment we would lose that. The game wouldn’t be what it is supposed to be.

Interesting and provocative, though I'm not entirely sure that I agree.  The general trend of the equipment advances has been to make the game easier, to eliminate to wild foul ball.  Doesn't that narrow the gap?

The guys are for sure hitting 5-irons 240, which will easily cover the drives of their amateur partners in most cases....

When they started messing with the Old Course at St. Andrews and adding yardage, the R&A lost me. Can you imagine if the All England Club did that to Wimbledon and made the centre court smaller so that the game would be more difficult? In tennis they slowed the ball down. I think we need to do the same in golf.

Don't forget what they're doing with the greens, Frank, speeds at which balls won't stay at rest.  

John never elicits his exact prescription, which presumably involves some kind of roll-back for everyone....  which seems like a non-starter to this observer, but if Frank wants to assume the guise of a Kiwi Utopian, that's his right.

Van Cynical, Accounted For - Gary Van Sickle hadn't crossed my radar in some time, presumably a victim of the sale of Golf Magazine.  Fortunately there's been a sighting at Morning Read, wherein he discusses the half-life of a PGA Tour stop.  Don't cry for Argentina, he tells us, nor for Firestone and Houston:

Tournaments come, and tournaments go. That’s how it is on the PGA Tour. Golf goes

where the money is. This is a business first.

History is nice, but our memories often are nearly as short as our modern gnat-sized attention spans. Remember the Western Open? It was a cornerstone of the PGA Tour lineup for decades. Butler National Golf Club, the tournament’s long-time Chicago-area home, was considered a beast by Tour players. The event was seen as being just a notch below a major championship during the 1980s.

Today, the Western Open is long gone, having hit a low point – in my eyes, anyway – when Cialis, an erectile-dysfunction drug, became the title sponsor for a few embarrassing years. Imagine being a female tournament volunteer and having to wear a big Cialis logo on your shirt.

Glad that we can now take Gary's face off the milk cartons, but in other respects it's a disappointing offering.  First and foremost, forget thinking of the Western as just below a major, for a long time it WAS a major....  Just ask Walter Hagen:

Walter Hagen could have related to Jack's comment when "they," in the late 1930s, ordained the Masters (aka the Augusta National Invitation) as the new top-shelf golf title, with the British and U.S. Opens and the American PGA Championship. At the same time, the Western Open, the third-oldest open championship, first played in 1899, was dropped a notch. And though the term "major" didn't really take hold until Arnold Palmer, thanks largely to the promotional efforts of his agent, Mark McCormack, traveled to St. Andrews in 1960 for the British Open, the various record books continued counting U.S. and British Amateur titles as majors. But "they" concluded that Hagen's five Western Opens didn't quite match his two U.S. Opens, four British Opens and five American PGAs in terms of prestige and importance.

We all get that golf is a business, and that events will come and go.  I'll not mourn either Houston or Firestone, and few will.  But The Western Open, the second oldest U.S. professional tournament was special, with a rich history that we should celebrate. 

That Commissioner Ratched was willing to sacrifice it for the dreary FedEx Cup tells us all we need to know about him..... Cialis jokes are all well and good, but where was Van Cynical as this going down?

Men In Plaid - Bradley Klein pens a love letter to the American Society of Golf Course Architects:

In previous decades, the society acted more like a protective guild than an inclusive 

Looks like the Champions' Dinner from Colonial.

professional association. Some designers used the society to create a kind of regional exclusion that prevented competition from potential rivals. Lately that has all changed, and while members directly compete against one another for jobs they also are talking to each other for tips, advice and suggestions on everything from bunker liners and new turf grasses to irrigation budgets and greens mix. 

Incoming ASGCA President Jeff Blume spoke powerfully about the collegiality that lies at the core of the group. As he pointed out, the industry has seen a major downsizing and decentralization, the last decade, thanks largely to the industry-wide downturn from the 2008 recession and the subsequent shift in the golf marketplace from big-scale new projects to small-scale renovations. 

"We used to have collaboration and collegiality focused inside the office," said Blume. "Now they are taking place outside, through external networking and informal cooperation."

I can't speak to the bad old days, but it does seem like the current generation all get along reasonably well.  Since the majority of these guys cut their teeth with Pete Dye, I'm guessing that he's at least partially responsible.

But this seems..... I don't know, troubling?

The honorary membership status that came with the award qualified me for a share of the red tartan cloth, which they thoughtfully presented in the form of a Ross-plaid yarmulke.

Yeah, I get that his name is Klein, but wouldn't a pocket square have been less... you know, ethnic?

Kooch, Unplugged -  A fun interview with Kooch, in which he comes across exactly as expected:

We've heard you're a guy who likes to needle other Tour pros. You might even be the biggest ballbuster on Tour. Is that a fair assessment? 

[Laughs] I am probably quick to throw out a jab, but I think self-deprecating humor is the best and funniest kind. And I'm okay to make a jab right back at myself if the situation calls for it. It's all in good fun. If you're not okay laughing at yourself, I'm probably not gonna be friends with you. 

Who are your favorite targets? 

Phil Mickelson is fantastic. He's one of the all-time great trash-talkers, and it's fun to, every now and then, get the upper hand with him.

If you remember the Zach Johnson locker story involving Michael Phelps, you'll know that he has a talent for the long con.

Goose, Gander - How can they possibly help themselves?

Chamblee’s critics will persist nonetheless, and the 55-year-old is going to risk empowering them by reviving his dormant competitive career, at least on a trial basis. He will enter a Senior British Open qualifier this summer and is considering entering some

PGA Tour Champions qualifiers and possibly its Q school. 

“I get a chuckle out of people who try to denigrate my career,” Chamblee told Golf World. “I was an extraordinary golfer. I say that with all humility. There are 25 million who play this game, and I was 58th in the world. I was a decent tour player. I played at the highest level for the better part of 15 years. At times I got damn close to being really good. 

“I don’t at all look back on my career with any regret. I gave it my all. I burned the candle on both ends, practicing sunup to sundown and thinking about it until I decided to do something else. I didn’t quit because I was playing bad or was hurt. I quit because of life matters, family matters and a goal of wanting to do something else in my life and see if I could be any good at it. That was it.”

Frequently wrong, but never in doubt.  I like having Brandel where he is, he's a one-man content machine for a blogger.  His over-the-top certainty can be a little tiring, witness his assertion that that DJ drive at Kapalua was the best significant golf shot ever.  I'll concede that it was a golf shot, though the "best" and "significant' parts don't withstand a lot of scrutiny.....

But golf remains difficult, and there's no reason to be mean-spirited....  Right guys?

Broadcast Bifurcation - The Forecaddie again, with the skinny on what to expect at Shinny (hope you don't tired of that one):

Fox Sports will offer viewers a fresh look and a new, if very familiar, face on its

broadcasts this year. 

The 18th tower has been home to anchor Joe Buck and analysts Paul Azinger and Brad Faxon for two years, ever since Fox dumped Greg Norman after its first season airing USGA championships. In 2018, Fox Sports is splitting into two booths: Azinger with Buck, and Faxon alongside rising star Shane Bacon. 

The Forecaddie recently caught up with Mark Loomis, Fox Sports’ coordinating producer for golf, who says he began thinking about bifurcating the booth at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, when Juli Inkster joined an already crowded anchor desk.

Mark Loomis with the specifics:

Loomis explained what viewers can expect to see at Shinnecock Hills in June: “On Thursday and Friday at the U.S. Open there will be hours when it’s just Shane and Brad, and hours where it’s just Joe and Paul. On the weekend, there will be times where Joe and Paul will get two holes, Nos. 1 and 2, and Brad and Shane will get two holes, Nos. 3 and 4. It adds up to 10 holes for Joe and Paul, eight for Brad and Shane. Because people don’t see us all year, it allowed us to be a little simpler in figuring out who’s talking for the viewer.” 

The Man Out Front asked Loomis if he fears a perception that Faxon is being ousted from the 18th tower. 

“That’s so far from the truth. The perception is that he’s not sitting in that 18th booth with the other two. The reality is that he’s going to be used more,” Loomis insisted. “When it’s just Brad and Shane, he becomes the voice.”

Makes perfect sense for Thursday and Friday, where the TV window is quite extensive.  My sense is that Fox has upped their game and isn't any worse than the other two, with the exception of Joe Buck.  His voice is simply at a volume and frequency that's jarring to our game....  But there's no hope of him going anywhere, so we'll all have to suck it up.

Cheap Shots - You know the drill:

  

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Pat Perez expletive heard on CBS broadcast of Zurich Classic

Hey, if he finished 18 and posted, that's progress: Tony Romo fails to advance in U.S. Open local qualifying

Chips and Burgers, Perfect Together - VIDEO: Kid expertly chips burgers onto grill ... from a roof

My shaft wasn't picked randomly, it was chosen by color: Our study proves that randomly choosing a shaft costs you big yards off the tee

Well, it is  men's event: Meet Tripod: Official 3-legged alligator of the Zurich Classic

Please tell me it was after Jordan's awful hooked iron into the water: VIDEO: Ryan Palmer tells Jordan Spieth, 'Go get that!' in mocking homage to British Open